The Tallest Tower!

Chapter 5: What's in the Middle of the Forest Stays There

A/N: I hope everyone had a nice holiday! It's time for another update and I know it's one many of you have been waiting for! Go ahead and have a read and don't forget to REVIEW as all reviews are greatly appreciated! =D Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HEY ARNOLD!

xXx

Arnold made it to a woodsy area on the opposite side of the Kingdom of Hillwood. He wasn't used to his surroundings at all and he was sure that the guards were still behind him. He fled deeper and deeper into the woods.

"This is ridiculous!" Arnold thought to himself. "I'll be running for the rest of my life!"

That's when an idea struck him. The guards were chasing Arnold on the ground, but they wouldn't think to look up in the trees.

"That's it!"

Arnold looked around for a tall tree that would be easy enough to climb and came across a young redwood. He jumped high enough to reach the lowest branch and began to lift himself. He was already halfway up the tree by the time the castle guards ran past on their horses, but he was high enough now not to be noticed. He climbed a little higher, to a thick branch, and stopped to catch his breath.

Suddenly, Arnold remembered the knapsack around his shoulder and opened it, revealing the golden crown. When he first laid eyes on it in the treasure chamber, it had looked so beautiful. Now that he held it in his hands, he didn't know what to think of it. It was so peculiar in Arnold's mind. It wasn't as fancy as he thought it would be. It looked old. He had never once held gold, but it was such a simple crown with only the emeralds to embellish it. And how peculiar they were, too. Arnold began to think of Gerald.

"This was the only thing he wanted from King Scheck and now he doesn't even have it," Arnold put the crown away. "I hope Gerald is doing ok, much better than I'm doing anyway."

Exhaustion suddenly overcame Arnold. He was so worried about the events of this day that he didn't sleep much the night before. Arnold stretched his arms and yawned before resting his back against the trunk of the tree and shutting his eyes.

xXx

"Don't forget to look up, Arnold! Look up!"

Arnold stirred, trying to keep hold of the fainting image of his grandmother in his dream, but she faded quickly. Arnold slowly opened his eyes. His stomach started to make itself known as it growled hungrily.

"Ugh," Arnold moaned. "I need food."

He looked around him. He was still in the redwood. He searched the forest below him, but found no sign of any castle guards. Arnold was about to get ready to climb down when he heard a neighing in the distance. The guard's horses. The sound was quickly approaching.

"King Scheck won't be happy to hear about this," a young guard said to another.

"He's not going to find out about it."

"He's not?"

"No! King Scheck doesn't use that crown! He won't even know it's missing until we find those thieves!"

"How much time is that going to take?"

"As much time as we need. Gather the troops. I'm going to be late for lunch!"

"Yes sir!"

Arnold watched as the guards went back in the direction of the Kingdom.

So much for Gerald's revenge if the king isn't even going to notice the crown is gone, Arnold thought.

Arnold took the knapsack from his shoulder and was about to throw it to the ground before another sound reached his ears. He kept absolutely still to hear it.

"Is that someone – singing in the distance?" he thought aloud. "What a beautiful sound!"

After putting the knapsack back, he looked in every direction he could from where he was, but he found nothing.

"I need to get higher!" Arnold announced before reaching for the next branch up.

Arnold climbed until he was above the surrounding trees. He looked towards the Kingdom, but all he could see was the very tips of the castle towers. The singing wasn't coming from that direction anyway. He looked to the other side of him. He was very close to the mountains. Near the mountains was a small pillar of smoke. Arnold's curiosity soared.

"Whoever is singing must be near those mountains!"

Climbing down as fast as he could, Arnold finally reached the forest floor and headed in the direction of the mountains. He found himself running before long. He finally reached the mountains, but couldn't find any sign that a person had been there. The singing had been ceased for a while now, but Arnold was still determined to find the owner to the beautiful voice that he heard. He tried circling the mountain, but it was much too wide.

"It's no use," he said. "Whoever that was, I'll never find her."

Arnold sighed as he stopped to lean against the rocky base of the mountain. Suddenly, he fell backwards.

"OOF!"

Gaining his composure, Arnold looked behind him from the ground. The rock he had leaned against had tipped over, revealing a tunnel, lit from the other side. Arnold looked around to make sure no one had seen him before entering the tunnel, replacing the fallen rock as he did so.

Arnold's nerves grabbed a hold of him as he slowly walked through the tunnel, unsure of what was beyond it. The light at the end of the tunnel was actually an exit. Arnold always wanted to know what was beyond the mountains. He suddenly began to remember the stories that Grandpa used to tell him as a child about his parents fighting dragons and ogres in their many travels. Even Arnold knew that there were no such things as such creatures, but back when he was younger, they seemed as real as rain.

Looking around, Arnold saw that he was in a very large valley. Moss covered nearly every rock and the grass was of a green Arnold had never seen before. But the most peculiar thing about the lush surroundings was the single blue tower in the center of it. It was taller than even King Scheck's castle.

"What is that?" Arnold cautiously closed the gap between him and the tower.

Suddenly, Grandma's voice came into his head.

"Look up, Arnold! Look up!"

Arnold lifted his head and was surprised to see a simple door near the top of the tower.

"Huh, how does someone get up there?" Arnold suddenly remembered how he and Gerald had climbed the castle walls. The stones were thick enough to climb easily. He went right up to the tower and realized it had similar stones. Arnold began to climb and in excellent time, finally got to the door.

It wasn't locked, so Arnold slowly made his way inside. The space was small, but the walls, he noticed, were beautifully decorated with words from the ceiling to the floor. He went towards one of the walls so he could read some of the beautiful script. Within seconds, he realized the walls were covered in poetry.

Arnold felt a sudden blow to his head.

"Hey!" he yelled in defense before realizing that what had been thrown at him was an apple.

He heard another object whiz past his ear before getting hit in the stomach with another piece of fruit.

"OOF!"

"WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!"

Arnold was hit with another fruit before looking up at a girl with pale blonde hair that was so long that it looked as though it was a veil that drug across the floor with every step she took. It was obvious it hadn't been cut in a very long time. She looked so frail that he was surprised that she delivered such force with her apples. Her deep blue eyes were burning fiercely against her milky white skin. She was wearing a dress the color of his grandma's spring tulips and atop her head was a ribbon of the same color, tied into a neat bow. Even though this mysterious girl looked threatening, Arnold all at once felt enamored by her.

"I SAID WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!"

Arnold dodged another fruit she threw at him before his words finally caught up to him.

"I-I like your bow!" he choked out, surprised at his own words.

"Huh?" the girl stared at him blankly.

"I like your bow because it's pink – like your dress!"

The girl's face softened. For a moment, Arnold noticed that her eyes seemed to glisten. He barely saw the corner of her mouth curl up slightly, but she shook her head and scowled once more and drew her left arm back with another apple in hand.

"L-look, I'm sorry to have disturbed you in any way, I didn't mean to frighten you! I didn't even know that anyone lived up here in this tower!"

"Who are you?"

"Arnold! My name is Arnold! I mean you no harm! Please, if I may ask – what is your name?"

"It's Helga," she said with force.

"Helga," Arnold repeated softly. "That's a nice name."

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Arnold sighed, "To tell you the truth, a friend and I are in trouble with the Kingdom of Hillwood. I was chased into the forest and have no idea what happened to my friend. While I was hiding from the castle guards, I heard someone singing. I guess that's what led me to you."

Helga slowly withdrew her arm and placed the apple in a wooden bowl she had tucked into her right arm.

"What did you do that got you in trouble?" She asked.

"We, uh, well we broke into the castle and stole King Scheck's crown."

Suddenly, Helga did something unexpected. She began to laugh. Arnold didn't know how to respond to it. Her laugh was adorable.

"That old chucklehead had it coming to him!"

"What?"

"He must be one ignorant fool if you two got away with it."

"Um – I suppose," Arnold said. "Were you exiled, too?"

"Exiled?"

"It's when you are not allowed to be a part of the Kingdom anymore. King Scheck banished me and my friend Gerald from the Kingdom of Hillwood."

"For stealing the crown?"

"No, he doesn't like Gerald's family because they have different colored skin than the rest of the people from Hillwood. As for me – well, I don't know why he banished me."

Helga held a peculiar expression on her face at that moment before she began picking up the fruit she had thrown. Suddenly, Arnold's stomach erupted into a fit of gurgles.

"You're hungry," she stated.

"Yeah, I suppose I am."

Helga handed Arnold the bowl of apples before bringing out a chair for Arnold to sit on.

"That's an interesting thing on your head."

"Oh this?" Arnold took the small blue cap from his head. He didn't realize until this moment how worn it had gotten since becoming banished. "My parents gave this to me before they left when I was just a baby."

"Where did they go?"

"My grandparents said they went to another country to help find a cure for the sick, but they never came back. My grandparents fear they might have died of the Black Plague."

Helga nodded in a sort of understanding.

"I want to leave," she said simply. "I wish I could be exiled."

"What do you mean? You're not in Hillwood right now. You can't be exiled by King Scheck if you're not in Hillwood."

"I guess what I mean is I wish I could be banished from this tower. I've never been anywhere else."

Arnold was surprised at such a statement.

"Why not?"

"It's a long story."

"I'd like to hear it," Arnold said. "If you'd let me."

Helga sighed before saying, "Very well. But you must promise not to use me after I'm done."

"I-I wouldn't dream of such a thing," Arnold said, confused.

"Alright then. Listen up, Arnoldo – "

xXx

Yay! Arnold has finally found Helga! To anyone wondering, yes – I have based this a bit on the movie Tangled (*WHICH I ALSO DO NOT OWN). Kudos to anyone who caught on to the similarities! Now, this story is still very much different, so bear with me! Another chapter is soon to come, so stay tuned and as always, don't forget to leave a REVIEW! =D