Here is chapter two... chapter three is still on its way; I haven't forgotten about this story! So, don't worry. :) I just need a nice little climax. I don't want to do anything that is too particularly big, but fun for everyone to read.
And Emily Anderson isn't an OC, btw. I figured to give Kenny a little love, so I chose one of the background girls. ^^ She has a small speaking part in Bass To Mouth. I hope you don't mind.
However, the kingdom of Crepuscule is mine! ^^;; It's actually a kingdom that is used in my original stories, and Pete (Red Goth) is right on the dot.
Chapter II
The ball started at eight. It's ten now… aw gee whiz, Dad's gonna be awfully sore—
"Butters!"
A prideful King Stephen entered his son's personal chamber, looking awfully sore indeed.
"BUTTERS!" he screamed in the cowardly prince's face. "You have less than two hours. Choose a bride before the stroke of midnight… or you're going to be grounded big time, mister."
"B-but Dad," stammered Butters, knuckles rubbing anxiously, "You don't get it! I've offered a majority of the young ladies in the kingdom for their hand in marriage, but they all turned me down! N-no one wants to dance with a dork like me… o-or share a sundae… it's hopeless…"
"Well, persuade them!"
"But Dad—…"
"There's always room for a second chance, Butters," said Stephen. "Now run along and have a good time with your friends before I ground you for being cooped up in your room all night."
Butters sighed and gave into his father's orders, exiting his bedroom. "Oh, hamburgers…"
Karen smoothed out her skirt once more before looking over her shoulder to the opened doors of the castle.
"Wow…," she said, staring at the shining towers. "It's so… big and fancy."
Mysterion knelt down on one knee, placing a brotherly hand on Karen's shoulder. "Is it all what you hoped it to be?" he asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh… oh, yes, Guardian Angel!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a warm hug. "This is like a wonderful dream come true! I don't know how to thank you…" At last she spun around in her gown and curtsied in gratitude. Mysterion mimicked the latter movement by taking a deep bow.
Karen's cheeks flushed pink when she asked, "Are you coming with me, Guardian Angel?"
"I'm afraid not," Mysterion told her. "But I'll gladly walk you home when the ball is over. I'm sorry, but parties aren't my thing."
"Oh," said Karen, looking disappointed. "Okay then. I wish Kenny could have come. He would have loved to dance with all the girls here." She giggled, turning on her heels and continued to talk to her angel over her shoulder. "I should bring him something to eat after the dance! He deserves it since he's covering for me… you two do a lot for me, you know."
"You deserve to be happy, Karen," said Mysterion. "This is your night; enjoy it!"
Karen nodded. "Thank you again, Guardian Angel! And I will!" Without a care in the world and one whip of her skirt, she was gone.
Kenny's hand scavenged the little pouch on his trusty utility belt. He opened it briefly and glanced down at the coins he'd stolen from the Weatherheads' wallet before dressing as Mysterion, and gave it two playful swats when he closed the said pouch. At least ten or more coins covered Karen's gown, but the rest? He wondered; hopefully it could be at some good use in the future—that is, if the Weatherheads didn't find out…
Oh, like they would, Kenny thought to himself and snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, could we get another round of coffee over here?"
The twitchy servant in the bowtie turned to face a group of pale children dressed in all black, sitting outside on the railings of the castle patio smoking cigarettes. Tweek managed a smile and added a tic before racing to the Goths' side, pouring each of them coffee into their glasses. They all began to drink simultaneously.
"Good—agh—God," Tweek muttered. "Do you want a doughnut to go with those or not? I-I mean, I love to drink coffee too, but wouldn't you guys anything to go with that?"
Pete, the kid with the red streak through his hair, suggested, "Any dark chocolate ones would do." He crushed the butt of his last cigarette into the ashtray that was sitting on a glass table top. "Actually, dark chocolate filling would be better."
"Ch'yeah," the others stated in agreement. Tweek hurried away, hoping to succeed with their order.
The curly Goth Michael was on the lookout. Henrietta, the only female of the group, blew some smoke in his direction. "What's got you so paranoid all of a sudden?" she asked, interested.
"I'm so freaking sick of that old man telling us those stupid Loch Ness stories," growled Michael, eyes peering through the growing crowd in the ballroom. "As if I wanted to leave this sparkly douchy castle enough already."
"I hear there's a forest that's far, far away," said Pete, "where manticores and leucrocottas roam. In the heart of the forest, there's a kingdom called Crepuscule—get this, it's all black and creepy. Like in an Edgar Allen Poe story. The royal family forces their servants to sleep in the dungeon and if anyone is feeling ill and they're too sick to stand, the prince takes them outside to starve until they die of hunger before he bashes their brains out with a shovel and feeds their flesh to the beasts."
"Whoa."
Henrietta took a drag of her cigarette, if craving for more of Pete's description of the mysterious castle. Michael's eyes widened in awe.
"Are you freaking serious? Dude… that's so hardcore."
"What are we doing out here anyway?" asked the youngest Goth Firkle, throwing away his cigarette. The others joined his gesture and stood up. "Maybe if we dig up more information on what Pete's talking about, we'll be able to leave and never come back to this conformist kingdom."
Michael nodded, gripping his cane. "Good call, let's—"
"Well hello there, children!" called a beaming Thomas.
The Goth Kids sat back down, groaning in misery.
While they were withering away just by listening to the old man tell his stories, Butters was trying another attempt of asking any girl to dance with him.
"Hiya Red! Would you like to—"
"No."
"Oh, okay… h-hey, Jenny, yeah, you! Jenny Simons! I was thinkin' you could—"
"Huh? Oh, gee. Look at the time. Kyle, I think the waltz is calling our names!"
"What? Oh… okeydokey… h-hey, Bebe, you think—"
"Go away, Your Queerness."
"G-gosh darn it, how the heck am I… OH! Hey'ya, Wendy! Hey, Wendy! Over here!"
Wendy Testaburger, a girl with smooth black hair wearing a pink beret and soft lavender ball gown looked to see the prince was approaching her for the first time that night. She curtsied as soon as Butters stood in front of her, huffing and puffing.
"W-Wendy… I-I was wondering if… um… w-well…"
"Yes?" said Wendy, offering a kind smile.
"If y-you could… oh hamburgers… hold on a sec…"
In and out… in and out… catch your breath, just like Dad taught you, Butters…
"Y-your Highness, are you sure you're all righ—"
"Wouldyoubewillingtodancewithme,Wendy? AndmaybeIdunnoconsiderbecomingmyprincessonyoureighteenthbirthday?" he asked breathlessly, grinning from ear to ear.
Wendy stepped away cautiously, hands folded behind her back. She glanced to the marble floor, biting her lower lip in hesitation, and then looked over her shoulder at Stan Marsh, who was busily grabbing two glasses of punch at the buffet table while chatting with guests Token Black and Clyde Donovan.
"Sorry Your Highness, but I'm with Stan this evening," Wendy apologized. The crown on Butters' head drooped, as well did his shoulders and smile. Wendy patted his shoulder with a gloved hand. "Aww, don't look so glum! Cheer up. I'm sure that someone will come along and dance with you before the night is over."
Feeling the tears coming, Butters faked a tiny smile so that Wendy wouldn't feel guilty. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Wendy. At least I could say I tried."
"Are you positive you're all right?" asked Wendy, looking worried. "I'm sorry if I made you cry, Your Highness. I didn't intend to…"
"Don't worry about me," Butters assured her, wiping his tears quickly. Gosh, Mom just ironed this for me, too… wait till she finds out that my brand new suit's damp from crying! Be a big boy Butters—no… be a MAN! "Maybe I'll see you around!"
Butters waved goodbye before helping himself to a plate full of miniature tacos that were lay out on the buffet. It was either tacos or doughnuts. I can't believe I took Clyde and Eric's suggestions, humph! Whoever heard of serving tacos and doughnuts at a ball anyway? Certainly not me! Butters thought to himself and sighed. They could have at least included little bowls of salad for a side… He grabbed a spoonful of lettuce and sprinkled it all over his makeshift tacos. However, he did brighten up a little when he saw Tweek serving chocolate milk.
Butters made his way into the center of the courtyard gardens and found himself a cozy spot on a stone bench that overlooked the typical large fountain you'd see in a modern home magazine. He heard the sounds of children that walked hand in hand through the gardens, laughing and talking with one another. They seemed so… happy. It was then when Butters lost his appetite and he set down his feast beside him. What made him so unattractive that girls… weren't attracted to? Was it his skin? His hair? His voice?
"I'm adorable, gosh darn it!" he raged, throwing his crown to the ground. "… at least, I think I am. Golly, I hope I am!"
"H-hello?"
Butters' head rose when he saw the figure of a young girl walking into the center of the gardens. She turned to face the voice's owner and smiled. Butters' face turned a dark shade of red. He didn't even flinch.
"… Hi."
For such a little girl, she appeared to be cute—pretty, even. She had shoulder length brown hair that curled in waves and a pair of hazel eyes, and… a dress that wore all shades of dark green. She also had dimples when she showed him her golden smile. It was a warm, shy smile. Butters had read through books in the library and read about descriptions on how some people could have smiles that were similar to honey. This had been one of them.
… Oh hamburgers! Wendy was right, c-could this girl possibly be the one?! B-but she's so… young… younger than me! Oh man, maybe I should… no, no, Butters, this may be the only chance you'll get out of life! So don't screw it up!
Butters took the plate of food and patted the empty seat.
"Oh," said the girl, who almost sounded surprised. She sat down beside Butters, clasping her hands together. "Thank you for letting me sit with you. I've just been wandering aimlessly since I got here. The castle is so big! And there are so many kids here. It got too crowded in the ballroom, so I decided to come outside for some fresh air."
"Yeah," said Butters dreamily. "It does sort of get stuffy in there… Hey, have you eaten?"
The girl shook her head and Butters immediately offered his plate of tacos.
"Thank you," she said, plucking one with two fingers. She took a small bite, smiling at the taste. "Mmm… these are really good! Did Chef McElroy make these?"
"Yeah!" said Butters, shocked. "You know Chef? … W-wait, that's a stupid question. Of course you know Chef. Everybody knows Chef!"
"His parents are my next door neighbors," said the girl, finishing the taco. "They're supervising the ball right now."
"Oh, yeah!" Butters realized. "Duh… I saw Chef's dad entertaining the Goth Kids when I walked outside." He chuckled. "They looked more depressed than usual."
She giggled. "The poor things!"
"Hey, uh, I didn't catch your name…," said Butters. He was hoping for some kind of conversation with this girl.
"My name's Karen McCormick," she said.
"Karen McCormick," Butters repeated thoughtfully. "… Mmm. Gosh, that's a pretty name."
Karen blushed. "Oh, thank you!"
"My name is Leopold, but everyone calls me Butters."
"Butters? That's such a cute name. It's very fitting!"
"Wow, really?! You think my name's cute?"
"Uh-huh!"
The prince rapped his knuckles together and a wide smile crossed his face. "You say it's fitting… no one has ever said that to me before…"
Meanwhile, Mysterion was spying on them in the nearby bushes. He had followed Karen everywhere she went while being hidden by various items. Now he was watching his sister interact with a boy who seemed to be treated as the outcast of the kingdom… Kenny noticed the crown next to the bench on the ground and thought that Karen probably hadn't seen it yet. That's when the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
Oh my God, that's the PRINCE she's talking to! he thought. At once he began to pace in a circle. My little sister is having a conversation with the prince! Holy crap—Kenny, calm down, dude… if Karen agrees to marry him before the ball is over, she'll be able to live a life of luxury and far away from the Weatherheads… she will NEVER have to see them again…
He struck a victorious pose and punched the air.
'Kay, you're getting a tad out of character, Kenny… cut it out while you can!
Kenny obeyed the little conscience in his head and hurried back to his hiding spot; but as soon as he got there, Karen and Prince Butters were out of sight!
"What the—where'd they go?" he said to himself, his Mysterion identity taking over.
"You mean the prince and the maiden?" asked a voice. Kenny turned to face a girl that was around his age. She had light blonde hair that waved at the edges in the back and wore a casual knee-length navy blue dress with puffy sleeves. She giggled when she saw the expression on the self-proclaimed angel's face. "You know this is a formal ball, right? I think you put on the wrong outfit; October isn't here for at least five more months!"
Ignoring the insult of the fashion statement, Mysterion walked toward her, fists clenched. "Yes, the maiden! Did you see where they were headed? I need to know right away!"
The blonde girl tapped an index finger to her chin. "I think the prince mentioned dancing, so they must have gone inside the castle."
Mysterion pinched his nose, sighing. "Of course; thank you, miss."
He turned on his heel, desperate to watch over his sister when suddenly the dateless girl cried,
"Wait a minute! Before you leave, I'd like to hear why you're wearing that costume." She shrugged in the background and sat down on the rim of the fountain. "If you don't mind, that is. If you ask me, the girl you're looking for is probably in the best hands in the kingdom. I hear Prince Butters wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone go near one."
Mysterion pondered. It wouldn't hurt to give Karen a few minutes being alone with the prince. What he was really worried about was the Weatherheads showing up uninvited and taking Karen away from one of the best nights of her life. She was already having a good time and made a new friend, not to mention, a possible better future for herself. If their so-called foster parents took that from her, Kenny would never be able to forgive himself.
But still… here was a girl who was waiting on hand and foot, curious to know his story. Someone who could eventually care what would happen to Karen—and to him as well. His mind made up, Mysterion took a seat next to her, their backs against the sparkling fountain. They sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds until the blonde-haired girl was first to say anything.
"My name's Emily by the way. Emily Anderson," she said, introducing herself.
"Mysterion."
He held out a hand which Emily took to shake, but he surprised her by leaning down and kissing her palm. "The pleasure's all mine, Emily."
"What a gentleman," he heard her compliment.
"Oh, you know so little," he whispered to himself, instantly thinking of his box of sacred breast doodles underneath his bed.
One of Emily's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"
"Nothing… nothing," mumbled Mysterion, straightening himself out.
"So…"
"… So."
"What's with the Halloween costume?" Emily teased, flicking Mysterion's logo, a bright green question mark.
Mysterion sighed. "Are you sure you're interested in hearing my story?" he asked. "It might be bit of a long one."
Emily smiled. "Don't worry. I have all the time in the world."