Now we're back with a new chapter, and Happy Holidays. Last chapter, Danny has to deal with a lovestruck Louise, and had to give his precious bit to a pretty spirit lady. And he has to look for a missing ring. That's what you get when you came back from retirement.
Now, it's time for a big shock! Sit back and enjoy!
Chapter 9: Prince of Albion
"I can't believe it!" Louise exclaimed as she stomped around her room, with Danny watching her. After a ride back to the Academy and a bad night's sleep, Louise was finally back to normal. "To think, I did all that embarrassing stuff to you!"
Danny watched as Louise raged in her room, her face redder than fire. He smiled lightly. "It's good to have you back, Louise."
Louise looked at him with a glare, but noted the relief look on his face. So, she just sighed tiredly and sat on her bed. She just woke up, and she's already tired. Danny, not wanting to make her even more stressed out, decided to clothe her.
Louise was surprised, but she didn't complain, even when he was having trouble putting her skirt on. Once she was clothed, the two started walking to the Dinner Hall, to have breakfast. Before they could enter, a teacher walked towards them.
"Miss Valliere," he said. "The Headmaster wants to see you."
"Dude, she didn't have breakfast yet," Danny said, crossing her arms. "Let her eat first."
"But it is from her Highness," he said, causing Louise to gasp and Danny to sigh.
"Go, I'll go grab your breakfast," Danny said, only for his arm to be grabbed by Louise, dragging him to the Headmaster's office.
"There's no time!" she exclaimed as she pulled him with her. Danny glared at the teacher as he was dragged to the office. He admired her dedication, but she shouldn't push herself too much. Soon, they found themselves in the Headmaster's office.
"Miss Valliere, Mister Fenton," he greeted as he removed the pipe from his mouth. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"Couldn't this wait after breakfast," Danny grumbled. "Louise needs the most important meal of the day."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Headmaster said, noticing now how wobbly Louise is, only standing up due to adrenaline. "Perhaps we should wait after you've eaten."
"No, I'm fine," Louise said, ignoring the gnawing hunger in her stomach.
"Look, stay here and listen for whatever the princess wants, I'm gonna go and grab us some food," Danny said as he walked towards the door.
"I don't need it," Louise said.
"I'm grabbing us some food," Danny said in a tone of finality as he walked out the door. The mages watched as Danny left the room.
"It is wonderful that you have a caring Familiar, Miss Valliere," Osmond said with a smile behind his beard as Louise looked down, her face red, but she didn't disagree.
"So, what does her Highness require of me, Headmaster?" Louise asked, getting back to the topic at hand.
"She didn't say much in her message, just that it is very urgent," Osmond said. "She requested your help."
"I gladly accept," Louise said with a determined expression. "I will go to the castle immediately…after Danny is back."
Later…
"What is this?" Louise asked as he held the strange food in her hands.
"It's called a breakfast burrito," Danny replied as he ate his with gusto. "It's made with eggs, cheese and sausage, wrapped in a delectable tortilla wrap."
"…It looks weird," Louise said as she looked at her burrito.
"Just try it before complaining," Danny said as he ate another burrito from the pack he was holding.
The two were walking towards the castle, with Danny packing their breakfast. He made them some breakfast burritos, since they were in a hurry. Louise looked at the food in confusion, so did the chefs and maids in the kitchen as he made it.
The girl hesitantly took a bite from the burrito. Her eyes widened as flavor exploded in her mouth, never tasting something so delicious before. Danny watched as she happily chewed her food, a small blush on her face. He smiled, happy to see her like this.
She finished the burrito as they reached the throne room door. The guards nodded as they opened the door, allowing them to enter. Waiting for them was Henrietta, a worried expression on her face as she looked at a letter.
"Your Highness, we're here," Louise said, looking at her friend with a worried expression. "What's wrong?"
"Louise, Mr. Familiar," Henrietta said as she put the paper away. "I am in desperate need of your help."
"What's wrong?" Louise asked in worry.
"I have been asked to marry the Emperor of Germania," she said in a sad tone.
"Oh…is that good or bad?" Danny asked, not sure what to think.
"It is good for the kingdom…but I am in a relationship with the prince of Albion," Henrietta confessed as she looked down. "If the Emperor found out about it, he might cancel the engagement."
"I don't see what the problem is," Danny said, shrugging. "If you don't like the guy, then say no."
"I can't," she said sadly. "It might anger the Emperor, and the kingdom really needs this alliance. The kingdom comes first."
"Politics," Danny whispered as he rolled his eyes. He winced when Louise elbowed his sides.
"What do you want us to do, your Highness?" she asked as Danny rubbed his sides.
"I've recently sent a letter to the prince and ask to hand me all the letters I've sent him," Henrietta said. "If the emperor saw those letters, he might cancel the engagement and the possible alliance."
"This is why I don't do politics," Danny commented, only to get another elbow on the sides. "Why do you hit so hard?"
Louise ignored him and turned back to her distressed friend. "So, you want us to retrieve the letter?"
"If you could," Henrietta said sadly.
"Do you really want to, though?" Danny said, causing them to look at him. "I mean, you don't like the emperor like that, so you should refuse."
"Danny!" Louise exclaimed as she covered his mouth. "I'm so sorry, your Highness."
"Please, it's alright," Henrietta said with a smile as she handed Louise a scroll. "I'm happy that you're concern about me, Mr. Familiar. And Louise, please accept this, to show Prince Wales that you are not an impostor."
Henrietta removed a ring with a tear-shaped ruby from her finger and handed it to a humbled Louise. She bowed and accepted the ring, putting it on her finger.
"We will leave now, your Highness," Louise said as she left the princess to her thoughts. Once the doors closed, Louise glared at Danny. "What were you thinking!? You shouldn't be saying things like that!"
"Why shouldn't I?" Danny said, not sorry for that. "She doesn't want to marry the guy. You're her friend, shouldn't you be saying these things?"
"Don't you think I know that?" Louise said with a sigh. "I don't want her to marry someone from that barbaric kingdom, but it's out of our hands."
"This is why I don't do politics," Danny said as they exited the castle. "So, what does the scroll say?"
Louise opened the scroll and read it. After a minute, her eyes widened and a small blush appeared on her face, confusing Danny. She quickly closed the scroll and walked faster.
"Hurry, let's prepare for our mission!" she said, her back facing him. She sounded flustered, and Danny didn't say anything to make her like that. Confused, he followed his flustered master out the castle.
Later…
"What's taking so long?" Danny said as he and Louise waited in the castle gates, their carriage already prepared. Now they were waiting for their escort, who was nearly two hours late. "We would have been sailing to the meeting point by now."
"Be patient, Danny," Louise said as she patiently waited for the escort. "I'm sure he has a good reason for being late."
Danny stared at Louise, starting to worry. She was never this patient, unless it was someone respectable, so whoever this escort is must be pretty important.
Suddenly, they heard flapping wings. The two looked up and saw a big griffin that showed that it was well taken care of, and a man riding it. It landed a few feet away from them and the rider dismounted. It was a man in his thirties, with a gray beard and hair, dressed like a musketeer, the symbol of a griffin proudly displayed on his chest.
"Greetings," he said as he bowed with unnecessary flourish. "I am Viscount Wardes, leader of the Griffin Squad."
"…I thought this mission was important," Danny said in a deadpanned tone. "Why is a big shot coming with is? He'll blow our cover."
"I-I'm sure there's a reason why Lord Wardes was chosen, Danny," Louise said in a shy tone.
"Forgive me," Wardes said in a tone opposite of asking for forgiveness. "But when I heard my fiancé taking part of this dangerous mission, I just had to volunteer."
It took Danny a few seconds to process what he just said before he looked at Louise, who seem to avoiding eye contact with him.
"…Isn't he a little…old for you?" he said with a weirded-out expression.
"It was decided by my parents," Louise explained, avoiding eye contact.
"Well, let us not hold things any longer, let us go," Wardes said as a few servants took his griffin and put it in the stables. He opened the carriage and held out a hand to Louise, who graciously took it. Danny clenched his fists until they cracked, not really knowing why he did that. Wardes then climbed up and sat next to Louise.
"…I'll walk," Danny said as he closed the carriage, not waiting for their reply. For some reason, that Wardes made his skin crawl.
Inside, Louise looked a little distraught as she looked through the window, seeing Danny walk beside them.
She didn't know why she was feeling this. Before meeting Danny, she always dreamed of being married to Wardes, who was the first person to like her beside her older sister. But then she met Danny, and Wardes just disappeared in her mind, and recently, thoughts about Danny made her feel like butterflies were flying around in her stomach.
She was confused on who to love, but she promised Wardes that she would marry him. This is why she understood what Henrietta was going through. She sighed sadly as Wardes talked about something, not noticing her plight.
While walking, Danny was trying to distract himself from his confusing emotions, so he focused on the project he and Professor Colbert were working on.
Flashback…
"Sorry about, Professor," Danny said as he handed the professor the finished product with the rubber. "I'll be gone for a while to help Louise with her mission."
"No, it's alright," Colbert said with a smile as he looked at the product. "You've already done enough with the parts. All we need now is to put them together."
"Though it's useless without fuel," Danny said, crossing his arms.
"Fuel?" Colbert said in a confuse tone.
"Think of it as blood for this machine," Danny said as he patted their engine. "Without it, this thing can't move."
"Interesting…how is this few-el made?"
"I don't know," Danny said with a shrug. "All I know is they're harvested from the ground or something."
"Blood from the ground?" Colbert said, sweating a little from that idea.
"Anyway, I'll let you know once I find something to use as fuel," Danny said as he walked to the door. "I once read in a comic that cow poo can be used as fuel, but I'm sure that's just a joke. See ya!"
As he closed the door, he didn't notice the contemplate look Colbert had on his face, thinking about what Danny said.
Flashback End…
He wondered if this world had those natural oils. He always dreamed of discovering an oil well and become a millionaire.
"Maybe if I was a millionaire, they'd made me a noble," he muttered before he realized what he just said. "Why did I say that?"
He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. That Wardes really made him uncomfortable.
Time Skip…
Danny, Louise and Wardes were renting a room for an inn. They spent most of the day on a small boat, as Danny kept an eye on Wardes, preventing him from doing something perverted to his master. When he tried her to rest her head on his lap, he quickly lied down on the man's lap, causing some awkwardness in the rest of their trip. They finally made it to the place where the meeting point is, where the Prince of Albion would secretly give them the letters, a small island just between Albion and Tristan.
Right now, Danny was sitting in the middle of the room, with Louise on one bed and Wardes on another. They, for some odd reason, can only afford one room with only two beds. Wardes offered to sleep with Louise on one bed and offered the other bed to Danny. Louise tried refuse, but Wardes was pushing her to do it.
Danny, not wanting to see Louise so uncomfortable, gave the bed to Louise and placed his jacket on the floor, saying he would sleep on it. The air was full of awkwardness as Danny sat on the ground, with his arms and legs crossed, his eyes closed.
Louise was actually relieved, since she wasn't ready to share a bed with a man. She then remembered that time she shared a bed with Danny when they were undercover. She blushed, realizing how indecent she had been.
Meanwhile, Wardes was looking at Danny with an annoyed look in his eyes. He didn't think this Commoner would be so annoying. He finally had eyes on Louise, and he was getting in his way. He needed to get rid of him.
"Excuse me, Mr. Fenton," he said as he stood up from his bed. "But could you take a walk with me?"
Danny opened one eye and stared at Wardes, who had a charming smile on his face.
"Dude, just because I rested my head on your lap on the voyage doesn't mean I'm into men," Danny said, closing his eye again.
Wardes' eyebrow twitch in annoyance as Louise suddenly looked at him with wide eyes.
"I merely wish to discuss something with you, in private," Wardes said, controlling his anger.
"Is it important that we need to disrupt the mission?" Danny asked.
"Well, no…"
"Then no, we'll discuss after the mission," Danny said as he started lying down. "Now go to sleep, we have a big day tomorrow. Good night, Louise."
Before Wardes could talk, Danny lied on his sides and started snoring. A vein appeared on the old man's head before lying down on his bed. He can't wait to get rid off him.
The Next Day…
"Danny, why are you so rude to Lord Wardes?" Louise asked as the two waited for the older man, sitting on a table, finishing breakfast.
"He reminds me of a Fruitloop I fought a lot." Danny replied as he drank his water.
"Fruitloop?" Louise asked, tilting her head.
"A nut job who is loopy," Danny explained.
"But Lord Wardes isn't a Fruitloop," Louise said, defending her husband-to-be.
"I can see it in his eyes, Louise," Danny said as he looked at her in the eye. "He's not the man you thought he is. Look into his eyes, and you'll see what I mean."
He suddenly stood up, surprising Louise.
"Where are you going?" Louise asked.
"Just to the washroom," Danny said. "I'll be back."
He walked to the washroom, to do his business, not noticing some people following him. A few feet away, Wardes smirked before walking towards Louise.
"Louise, it's time to go, now," he said, causing Louise to look at him.
"But what about Danny?" she said. "He went to the restroom."
"He told me to tell you that he left," Wardes said with a sad smile. "He told me that he was sorry for how he acted and wanted to leave, since he feels like he's getting between us."
Louise looked confuse, since it doesn't sound like Danny. Remembering what Danny said, she looked into Wardes' eyes. Now that she looked, she felt a sense of wrongness in them, something that made her uncomfortable.
It feels like she was meeting him for the first time, and it wasn't a great meeting.
"Where's Danny, Lord Wardes?" Louise asked again, using a firm tone.
The smile disappeared on his face, his eyes turning cold. Suddenly, a knife appeared on his hands and pointed it at Louise, who was shocked.
"Let us not dawdle anymore, young Louise," he said in false warmth. "Now, let us go meet the Prince, before something…unpleasant happens. And don't even think about grabbing your wand."
He held out her wand in front of her, causing her eyes to widen and she looked at her waist, seeing that it wasn't there.
"Da-!" she called, but stopped when the knife got closer to her face.
"Don't bother, your obnoxious servant is being taken care off," he said with a smirk. He then grabbed her arm and started leading her out the inn. "Now, come along dear Louise."
Louise dug her heels, trying to get free, looking at the other people in the inn, looking at them pleadingly. But they didn't even bat an eye.
"Don't bother, I have allies, dear Louise," Wardes said with a cruel smirk as they walked out the inn. "Now, let's go and meet the young prince."
"Danny, help me!" she prayed as Wardes led her to the meeting place.
Meanwhile, Danny was washing his hands, stepping over the unconscious people that tried to attack him.
"Knew that slimy bastard would try something," he said as he wiped his hands. When he walked out the restroom, it grew quiet. Everyone stared at him with narrowed eyes, slowly grabbing their swords, knives, axes, staffs and wands. Danny just stood there, raising an eyebrow. "…Before we get started, who wants to get out?"
Everyone either charged at him, aimed their weapons or casted harmful spells towards the unworried Fenton as he grabbed his Ryu ni Kiba, his eyes glowing brightly.
Later…
Wardes was having Louise lead him to the meeting point, the Cathedral, the only tourist spot in town, a knife pointing on her back, which was hidden by his cloak. Tears threatened to fall from Louise's eyes, but she remained strong. Deep down, she knew that Danny was alive, she only hoped he saved her before Wardes hurt him.
The two entered the Cathedral, which was beautiful, with carved angels hanging on the pillar, silver candle holders lighting the room, and colored glass that tells the story of a mage that used a unique magic. Louise knew this story, the mage with golden hair was Brimir, the greatest mage in history, the one who defeated sealed Pariah Dark away all those years ago.
Waiting on the altar was a handsome man, dressed in majestic blue robes with gold trimmings, a sword strapped on his waist, a blue cape with white, and gray gloves and boots, with a sapphire brooch on his cape.
"Greetings, you must be Princess Henrietta's friend," the Prince of Albion said with a gentle smile. "I am Prince Wales."
"No! I can't let the prince get hurt!" Louise thought. She couldn't let the man her best friend love gets hurt because she couldn't do anything. Before Wardes could react, Louise turned around and tackled the man to the ground, surprising them. "Run, Prince Wales! Wardes wants to kill you!"
"Stupid brat!" Wardes exclaimed as he slapped Louise, causing her to fall on the ground.
"Miss Valliere!" Wales exclaimed as Louise held her red cheek.
"If you don't want the brat to get hurt, then you will come here, Prince Wales," Wardes said as he pointed his staff at Louise. "Or better yet, stay still as I blast you to ashes!"
Before he could cast the spell, the doors were blasted open. Everyone turned and saw a beaten-up mage flying towards Wardes, slamming on to him and sending the man away from Louise.
"Have to say, I'm surprise you made a club to take over the world," Danny said as he entered through the broken doors. "But it's good to know you guys are so dedicated."
"Danny…" Louise said, tears in her eyes. Danny looked at her and his eyes widen. Before she could react, he was in front of her, looking at her face.
"Who did this?" he said, his eyes and tone cold, scaring Louise a little. She simply pointed at Wardes, who pushed the mage off him. "Stay here."
Danny stood up and walked towards Wardes. Wales stared at him with surprise and curiosity.
"So this is the Commoner Familiar I heard so much about," he thought as he stepped back, both eager and afraid to see what he could do.
"You!" Wardes exclaimed in anger, spit flying from his mouth as he glared at Danny venomously. "I should have killed you myself, commoner!"
He pulled his staff and casted a fire spell at Danny, who just kept walking. Danny grabbed the naginata on his back and slashed, firing a green wave that easily parted the flames, surprising the prince and Wardes, who was hit the wave, sending him flying to the altar.
"I'm going to tear that stupid beard off your face and stuff it down your throat," Danny said as he kept walking to Wardes, who was trying to stand up.
"Big words from some commoner trash," Wardes said with a snarl. "You are nothing but a servant, trash whose purpose is to serve your betters, like me!"
He blinked when he saw the hilt of the naginata right at his face when he stopped talking. Danny slammed the hilt right at his nose, breaking it. Wardes screamed as he held his broken nose before Danny spun the weapon and the hilt was twirling above Wardes' head, hitting him on the head, causing a few teeth to pop out his mouth.
Wardes fell face first to the ground, unconscious. Danny just stared at him, very satisfied by his result. He then turned back and was surprised when Louise tackled him with a hug, tears of joy spilling from her eyes. He blinked before smiled and patted the girl.
"You know, I was starting to like your husband-to-be," he said in a joking manner. "He was fun to beat up."
Louise just chuckled and wiped the tears off her eyes.
"That was impressive, Mr. Fenton," Prince Wales said, causing the two to turn at him.
"Oh, hey dude," Danny said with a wave, causing Wales to chuckle.
"Danny, show some respect," Louise reprimanded lightly.
"No, it's alright, it's rather refreshing," Wales said with a smile. He then pulled out a stack of letter from his robes. "Here, the letters."
Louise stared at the letters before at Wales, who had lost the smile and looked at the letters sadly. She then turned to the beaten Wardes, someone she was supposed to marry, before at Danny, who just looked at the letters.
"No," she said, causing the two to look at her. She had a new, determined gleam in her eyes as she pushed the envelope back to Wales' hands. "You love the princess, and she loves you. You two should be forced to do this. We'll find some way to make the emperor understand."
Danny smiled at Louise as Wales look at her with surprise before a smile appeared on his face.
"Aw, how sweet," a voice said, a very familiar voice. "So sweet that it makes me sick."
Suddenly, the ground behind Wales erupted, and a sharp rock pierced through him.
"Prince Wales!" Louise exclaimed in horror as the prince coughed up blood. Danny quickly got in front of her and raised his hands, creating a green dome that blocked other sharp rocks.
The prince was then carried to the altar, where someone emerged from the ground. Their eyes widened when they saw that it was Fouquet.
"Ms. Loungeville!?" Louise exclaimed in shock as she stared at the former teacher. "But you were supposed to be in jail!"
"It'll take more that a disgusting jail to keep me," she said with a smirk as she glared venomously at Danny. "I see you've been doing well, Mr. Fenton."
"You won't get away with this!" Danny exclaimed as he expanded the dome, destroying the spikes. He then dispersed it and charged at Fouquet, spinning his naginata. Fouquet just smirked and threw something at Danny. When it hit the ground, his eyes widened. "No…"
He suddenly felt weaker as he fell on his knees, feeling like his insides were going to explode.
"Danny!" Louise exclaimed as she ran to his side, looking worried. "What's wrong?"
"Blood…blossoms…" Danny panted as he looked at the reddish, rose-like plants with purple stems.
"This is a good opportunity to kill you, but we are behind schedule," Fouquet said as she grabbed the letters from dead prince's hands. She then turned to Wardes with disdain. "This pathetic worm was supposed to grab the little Void mage, but it seems we need a change in plans."
A golem appeared and grabbed Prince Wales and Wardes before standing behind Fouquet, who started sinking into the floor.
"We will meet again, Valliere, Phantom," she said, causing Danny to look at her with wide eyes. "And next time, I will kill you."
Louise suddenly supported Danny and the two walked out of the cathedral. Once they were away from the Blood Blossoms, Danny got his strength back.
"Darn it!" he exclaimed, punching the ground, creating a small crater, bruising his hand.
Not only did he let someone die, he let the murdered escape. He turned to Louise, who was crying over her failed mission.
"This isn't good," he said as he stood up and gently grabbed Louise's hand. "C'mon, let's go back."
Louise just nodded as she hiccupped, allowing Danny to lead her away from the cathedral. The enemy both had the letters and the body of the prince of Albion, and knew his secret.
"This is not good," Danny said as they walked back to the docks.
Meanwhile, Fouquet and her golem stopped in a dark cavern that was dimly lighted by candles. The golem roughly dropped Wardes while carrying the prince to the center of the cavern.
"There's been a change in plans, I'm afraid," Fouquet said as a figure approached the dead body.
"No, this could also work for our favor," the man said as he grinned at the body. He then held a ring from his hand, a silver band with writing on it with a water-gem on it. He placed the ring on right ring finger. The ring glowed and the prince's eyes suddenly opened, glowing eerily green. "Yes, this will do."
And done! Are you shocked? First, Happy Holidays, we still have New Year, so it's still a holiday week. I was supposed to finish before Christmas, but there was buying presents, decorating the house, thinking what to cook, etc. But at least I got it done.
So, let's go over it; Danny and Louise meet Wardes, who is an elitist jerk, got beaten up, an inn full of people from the Reconquista or paid mercenaries, Wales getting killed and used as a puppet by the mystery man, but we all know who he is. And if you know what Danny was referencing to about the cow poop, then you were part of that passed era when cartoons didn't suck.
Whelp, time to say goodbye to another year, and seemed like yesterday I posted the last chapter of Phantom Leader II. Remember the good things that happened this year, but don't forget the bad, the bad is used to make the good things better!
Next chapter, a relaxing hot bath and the book of the Void. See you next year!