Freak: Yay! Finally! Another chapter

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Freak: Yeah, I guess you could say we've been having some 'creative differences'.

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Chapter 13

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Three days before the coronation...

~The Horned King~

The Horned King sat slumped in his throne, concentrating in a deep mediation. He had been in such a cheerful mood, but that quickly changed to anger, then again to despair as the recent turn in events caused him to grow worrisome. In the previous week, his men were able to capture both a royal and a girl. The Horned King was away when the prince was taken prisoner and was delighted when he received the news; but when he found out about the girl his gwythaint snatched up, a girl who could glow, the situation turned urgent and he immediately made way for home. However, his fortuitous day proved woeful when the two escaped, slipping right out of his skeletal grasp. After days of searching, his pet gwythaint returned home empty-handed, and the Horned King was no where closer to his dreams of absolute rule.

The Horned King was just deciding on his next move when one of the double doors creaked slightly open. The small, green creature named Creeper peaked his round head through. He hesitated over the threshold for a moment and the Horned King showed no hint that he was aware of Creeper's presence. Slowly, he inched his way into the room and down the path towards the throne, whimpering uncontrollably.

"Um, Master?" He muttered out.

"What news do you bring?" was the villain's response.

"The... coronation. It's tomorrow." Creeper stuttered out.

"Ah, yes," the Horned King said more to himself. "How could I forget." He said the words as if they were venom. He leaned his head into his hand defeatedly and he gave a short sigh. "The throne that is rightfully mine. And they're giving it away to a measly child. All because he pulled a sword out of a stone..." He trailed off in deep thought when something occurred to him, replacing his sorrowful disposition with a more joyfully wicked one.

"Creeper," he said as he stood, "Prepare the carriage."

"Where are we going, Master?" Creeper asked nervously.

"England," his voice was cool as he started to walk towards the door.

"England? But... but why, Sire?" He sounded surprised as he rushed after, struggling to keep up.

"Because, we have a coronation to attend."

Earlier morning; One day in the past...

~Garnet~

Garnet and Adrian descended from the clouds and hovered just above the ground, the solar surfer emitted a loud buzzing sound as it landed and turned off.

"We're here?" Garnet asked enthusiastically, barely able to contain his excitement. It had been a while since their adventure in China, and he was eager for some more action! When Adrian had suggested their next stop be at the soon-to-be-King Arthur's castle, Garnet thought his head would explode from the anticipation.

"Yep, we're here," Adrian replied as the two stepped off the solar surfer. "Welcome to England."

Garnet's heart did a somersault in his chest. He had a good feeling about this; the feeling that this was the place where he would finally be reunited with his family. Adrian hid the solar surfer over in some bushes and covered it in some foliage before making his way over to a dirt path that led to the nearby town. With renewed hope, Garnet followed his friend with an unwavering smile that spread entirely across his face.

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~The Horned King~

The carriage rocked side-to-side as one of its wheels rolled over yet another jagged rock that was sticking up out of the road. Found inside were two unlike beings: one with a green complexion who got jostled and thrown every time the carriage hit a bump, and the other a tall slender man with ghostly features who seemed unaffected by the harsh movements of the carriage.

"Sire," Creeper spoke up with a scratchy voice in between bumps, "why are we going to the King's coronation?"

There was an unnerving silence in the air before it was replaced with the deep sinister voice of the Horned King. "I have made arrangements to meet someone in the castle's courtyard. I've asked this friend of mine to deliver a gift to our little new Royal and they have kindly agreed to it."

"A... GIFT, Master?" Creeper's tone revealed astonishment.

"Yes," the Horned King replied cooly. "A well deserved gift." The Horned King then smiled to himself as the carriage drifted closer to their destination.

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~Garnet~

It did not take them long to get to the town, and when they did they were greeted by a scene of townspeople bustling about as they prepared for the big coronation the following day. Garnet never saw such a lively scene. There were people carrying crates filled with a variety of flowers for the bouquets. Tall, burly men held above their heads multiple wooden chairs. Off outside his shop was the tailor, stitching together a plethora of tapestries to hang up. Their color so vibrant and the design so intriguing, Garnet couldn't help but to be impressed by the handiwork. In the atmosphere, over the sounds of chattering and laughter, came the most delicious smell to ever fall upon Garnet's nostrils. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the local bakery. It was packed tight with people entering and exiting with breads and pastries. No doubt transporting them to the castle for the feast that will be held after Arthur is crowned.

Garnet's mouth watered and his stomach made a soft noise. It had been a while since the two had eaten, only having a small apple at breakfast this morning. Adrian saw the look of hunger on the young boy's face and nudged him to follow before walking towards the sweet-smelling bakery. They squeezed their way past the heavily used entryway and walked up to the counter. There was a young boy managing the front, the baker's apprenticed Garnet guessed. He gave an anxious smile as the two approached, something that made Garnet think he was still new to the job.

"Can I help you?" The apprentice asked gingerly, eyeing Adrian and Garnet as he wait in anticipation for their response.

"Yes. Two of your finest pastries," Adrian replied, setting down some gold coins on the wood counter top. The apprentice nodded and fumbled to the back before bringing out two cinnamon rolls as big as Garnet's head. He handed one to each and wished them a good day as they left with their goodies.

When the two boys had munched down every crumb of pastry, they found themselves in the town's square. This had to be the site of the coronation ritual. A platform had been built up and on top sat a grand throne where Arthur would sit to be crowned king. A long red rug was laid out for Arthur to walk along when he emerged out from his carriage.

"Wow! They really go all out for these type of things, don't they?" Adrian said out loud. Garnet turned towards him to reply, looking up at him.

"Haven't you ever been to a coronation before?"

"Nope. This would be the first," Adrian said matter-of-factly. He then looked down at Garnet, returning his gaze. "You?"

"Oh, you kidding? I've been to loads of royal functions before! I'm practically a celebrity back in my world!" Garnet said this with a grin, trying not to laugh.

Adrian frowned and turned forward while saying, "Ok, I get it. Haha, you're hilarious." Garnet didn't say anything, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Adrian smiling to himself. Just then the bell up in the nearby bell tower began to ring.

"Well, it's getting pretty late. I think it's time we payed an old friend of mine a visit."

This sparked Garnet's curiosity. "Old friend? Who?"

Adrian gave Garnet a mischievous grin and started forward. Garnet hastily followed, running to keep up. They left the town square and made their way to the castle's courtyard. Garnet stopped in the center when he realized what Adrian was doing. The teen was walking up the cobble stoned stairs and when he made it to the top he lifted the iron knocker and banged it against the oak door. It opened up and a guard peeped his head out to see what all the commotion was about. He addressed Adrian with a short grunt.

"Hi, we're here to see Merlin. He's expecting us." The guard opened the door the rest of the way and moved to let the two pass. Adrian motioned for Garnet, the young boy racing up the steps and entering the castle in no time at all.

The inside was just as grand as the outside, and even more majestic. Large canvased paintings hung on the wall, with torches protruding out of the stone here and there, giving the entire inside a low, moving glow. The guard escorted them down a long hallway that ended just before two tall doors. He turned back to them to announce, "Master Merlin is waiting for you inside the castle's library." He then gave a salute and walked back down the hall to return to his post.

Garnet said softly, more to himself then to Adrian, "I can't believe I'm about to meet Merlin," and then with more volume and enthusiasm he added, "This is so cool!"

The two paused a brief moment. Then Adrian reached out and opened the door.

.oOo.

Adrian and Garnet emerged through the tall, oak doors, but stopped abruptly and gaped at the new surrounding environment. The room they were now in was, indeed, a library, but not at all what they were expecting. After seeing such a magnificent castle and the beautifully exquisite interior decor, they were sincerely shocked by the humble appearance of the library. The room was poorly lit by a dying flame in the center fireplace; had dirty floors, broken furniture, and a mediocre collection of books arranged haphazardly on the bookcases' shelves.

"Um, this is IT?" Garnet asked, his excitement deflated. "Where are all the spell books and potions?"

Adrian walked over to an abandoned book on the floor and picked it up, blowing dust off its leather cover. "Maybe they were robbed and that's why the solar surfer brought us here," he stated thoughtfully.

"Hmm, maybe," Garnet considered. He shot a quick glance around before realizing, "Hey, where's Merlin at?"

Adrian adverted his gaze from the content of the book and saw what the young boy meant. Besides the two of them, the room was completely deserted. The guard had said Merlin was waiting for them in here, so where was he?

At that moment, something with wings quickly flew between two of the worn bookcases, causing the boys to lightly jumped back in surprise. As quickly as it appeared, the creature had vanished from view.

"What was that?" Garnet wondered in astonishment. His eyes darted around frantically, searching for any movement.

"WHO'S THERE!" Adrian shouted after bringing out his curved Khopesh swords. There was another movement out of the corner of his eye. He whipped towards the space between another pair of bookcases. He waited, muscles tensed.

"Who, who? I'd like to know who." An unknown voice filled the air.

Garnet yelled as something swooped over his head and flew towards the fireplace. It landed on top of a wooden perch, it talons gleaming as the orange flames grew in size. As more light filled the room, Garnet and Adrian discovered that the terrorizing monster was Archimedes, Merlin's pet owl.

"What, what? What are you two doing here?" Archimedes asked, his face in a scowl.

Garnet ran up to the mantle. "Cool! A talking owl!"

"An observant child!" The owl stated in a mocking tone that was supposed to resemble Garnet's. "It's a first for both of us." The grumpy Archimedes slumped his posture and looked at Adrian, "What are you doing back here? Up to no good again, I suspect."

"Hey, now," Adrian raised his hands up, palms out. "When I suggested we turned Arthur into a squirrel, I was only joking. How was I supposed to know Merlin would take me seriously."

Garnet gave him a puzzled look that Adrian returned with a sheepish grin. He remembered the part in the movie when Arthur and Merlin were squirrels and the girl squirrel was annoying Arthur. It always made him laugh.

"Yes, well, next time you want to be a wingman to a bunch of squirrels, make sure you check the surrounding area for hungry wolves first." Adrian shrugged his shoulders playfully.

"Ahym," Garnet cleared his throat and gave Adrian a serious look.

"What? Oh, right!". He then turned back to Archimedes and said, "Actually, we're here to see Merlin. Is he around?"

"Before Arthur pulled the sword out of that stone, Merlin went on a vacation to Bermuda. He said he'd be back in time to see Arthur get crowned king. He should be here by now..." Archimedes was interupted by the loud BANG as the two wooden doors blew open by a forceful wind. All three turned their attention over to the entrance and could see the dark, elongated shadow of a figure across the floor. Merlin walked into the darkened room holding his travel bag. He looked like a modern day tourist wearing a colorful button up shirt, shorts, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and tennis shoes.

"Ahh, home sweet home," Merlin walked over to the group and set his bag down.

"Welcome back," Adrian offered him a warm smile.

"How was Bermuda?" Garnet asked excitedly.

"Sandy," Merlin replied, removing his hat to let the sand in it pour out. Adrian and Garnet chuckled.

Merlin gave a quick glance around the room and frowned. "Well Archimedes, I see you've neglected to clean while I was away."

"Clean? What? What-" The old owl looked flabbergasted.

"Oh, don't get your feathers in a twist, Archimedes. As usual, I'll handle this." The owl flew away with a sour look on his face. Merlin matched his expression and muttered under his breath before clasping his hands together to crack his fingers.

"Higitus figitus zumbabazing," he chanted as he twirled his wand, accidentally getting it tangled up in his beard. His bag opened and out came smaller versions of different leather books. As they drifted over to the bookcases, they began to grow bigger. When they settled on the shelves, they were at their normal sizes. A small, circular rug landed right before the fireplace. Some glass vials and beakers filled with green, blue, and purple potions floated over to a circular, wooden table that had just settled off to the side. Furniture was next, some comfy looking armchairs and a small coffee table positioned themselves in front of the blazing fire.

When everything was finished, the library went from deserted and desolate to warm and lived in. Garnet and Adrian lightly clapped their hands simultaneously. The unexpected applause made Merlin blush slightly, before regaining his composure.

"Yes, well, enough of this tomfoolery," he instructed. "Let's get to why I requested your presence here, Adrian."

The two boys straightened up, all playfulness gone.

"Go on," Adrian urged Merlin. Garnet could hear the change in his demeanor as he said this.

"I needed you here today because," Merlin let out a sigh, his eyes held something in them, something Garnet recognized. The same look of urgency that his mother had the day she told them that their father was dead. "I think during the coronation someone is going to try to kill Arthur."

The present day...

~The Horned King~

Creeper and the Horned King walked through the deserted stone courtyard. As they walked to the center, the Horned King remained unmoved while Creeper felt paranoid that someone was watching and quickly glanced over at a darker corner.

"Calm yourself, Creeper," the Horned King commanded. His voice was dark and airy. "No one will come out here. Not today."

The Creeper lifted his head up to look at the one who spoke to him.

"Yes, Sire," he replied obediently. "Because they're all too busy getting ready for the King's coronation to notice us." Creeper went on, saying this like it was the punch line to a joke. "The fools! Right, Sire?" he looked up at his master with approval-seeking eyes.

"That is right, my friend," he said to him without returning his gaze. Instead, he was facing towards a bell tower off in the distance. The mysterious 'friend' that they were meeting there had arrived just as the bell tower tolled seven times.

"Right on time, as usual," the Horned King spoke as the figure dressed all in black, with a fitted black mask that showed indentations of a mouth and eyes, walked up to them. The individual did not reply. However, having worked with him before, the Horned King did not take offense at his silence nor saw it as an act of disrespect. After all, when you're an assassin, silence and secrecy become an integral part of your daily life.

"Now, focusing on the matter at hand and the whole reason we are here today," the Horned King began, "I want you to assassinate the soon-to-be-crowned king. I have devised a fool-proofed plan on how to go about this. First, I want you to climb up to that bell tower over there," he pointed up before continuing. "The King will then come out of his carriage and walk up to a throne on a platform. From there you will be able to easily shoot off a deadly arrow between the king's eyes without being spotted by any witnesses."

"I pray you were able to refine your archery skills," the Horned King said as he motioned for Creeper. The small green creature nervously walked closer to the mysterious person and handed him a bow and arrow. The assassin nodded and accepted them graciously. The two groups parted ways; Creeper and the Horned King left the courtyard and Jamie headed for the bell tower to set up.

End of Chapter 13.

Freak: Well, there you have it :) Hoped you guys liked.

Myst: Plz review! Freak and I have already started the next chap :)

Freak: It's going to be action packed! And who knows, maybe even a death scene? (Looks over at Myst)

Myst: -_- We'll see Freak. *Sigh* We'll see...

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