Special shout out to Disney dropping the teaser at the most inconvenient time for me and screwing my entire fucking game plan. At least now, I have something to work with ;)
The castle dining room was surely a beauty to gaze at. The bright white tile floor complimented the crystal blue aesthetics perfectly. A blazing fire covered the room in a soft, cozy blanket. Chairs neatly surrounded the long white table, where Moon and River were having breakfast.
"They really outdid themselves with the ham this time!" River boasted, tearing his teeth into a piece. "Oh darling, you just have to try it."
"Yeah…" Moon muttered to herself, docilely poking her toast with a fork.
"Oh now sweetie, what seems to be the matter now?" River asks. She stops poking and looks up him.
"I just can't stop thinking about how we're going to deal with this monster problem, River. Every day it seems like they're getting closer and closer to the castle."
"Now don't you worry about that so much! Our men are the best equipped in the world! They'll deal with these nasty beasts eventually, I promise you." He stops, and goes right back to savagely eating his meat. Moon just looks at him. She appreciated his comfort, definitely, but wished he would think of situations more critically.
Out of nowhere, a royal advisor rushes into the room. He talks quickly, and is out of breath. "Sorry to interrupt you your majesties, but you might want to see this." They both rise up out of their chairs quickly, and follow him out the front door.
He leads them out to the castle gates, and what they see makes them catch their breath. A large pack of monsters have piled up on the other side, armed with weapons and covered in armor. Their riled and nasty yelling has attracted all the guards in the area. They all point their swords and spears towards the black barred gates, most of them shaking with fear.
"You'll pay for wronging us, Queen Butterfly!" One of them shouts at her. That gets the attention of River. His face glows red with anger.
"Now you listen here, you smelly heathens!" He shouts back at the monster spit flying out of his mouth. "If you think you're getting over this gate, good luck!" A hand pulls him away from the monsters.
"Sir please stay away from the gate!" A tall, well armored knight advises him, shouting over the noise. "Knight Richards, sir." He introduces himself. "We'll have this situation under control shortly. Please let me escort you back inside the castle." River, visibly upset, obliges to the knight. He leads Moon and River back inside the safe and stable walls of the castle.
"This is madness…" Moon expresses, a look of concern over her face. "I knew they were close. But I didn't know they were right here. What if they get in?"
"Oh, dear you worry too much." River tells her, grabbing her hand. "Everything is going to be ok. They're not going to get in here."
"THEY'RE SCALING THE GATE!"
Knight Richards screeches, his face pale with fear, staring out of a window. River and Moon run over to him, and look outside. Many monsters are now climbing over the gate, weapons drawn, bloodlust in their eyes. The guards present try to back them down but they're too many of them. They're overwhelmed by the hoard.
One after another, they start hopping over. Many soldiers try to meet them at the drop, but get trampled in the process. Once over the side, the monsters start going to work. Slashing, smashing, and tossing any opposition in their way. As history repeats itself, the guards barely stand a chance.
Soon enough, the yard is cleared. The guards, wiped out, while the monsters suffer a few casualties. They now set their eyes on the next objective. Storming the castle, and capturing the Queen. They start marching towards its front door.
Bangs start exploding against the front door, throwing off Moon, River, and Richards. The brave knight draws his sword, and stands in front of them.
"Might want to back up a little, this could get messy."
BASH
The doors fly open, and monsters start pouring in. Richard lunges the tip of his sword into the first intruder, then kicks him off his blade. He swings left, then right, easily dispatching two more. A two headed monster charges at him with a spear, but Richards is prepared. He grabs the tip just before contact, and turns it away from his abdomen, leaving a target open. He stabs the attacker, then pushes him away.
"Is that all you got!?" His adrenaline is cheering him on.
Suddenly a big behemoth comes barging through the opening, ramming his head into Richards, throwing him off balance. He falls over, and the monster trips. They both quickly recover, and get back to their feet. They stare each other down, squaring up one another. The monster steps closer, then attacks, swinging a right hook aimed at Richards' temple. He ducks just in time, leaving him defenseless. The beast swings his left arm, this one connecting to the side of his head. Richards stumbles to the ground, unconscious. The monster then turns his attention to the Queen.
"Queen Butterfly." He bellows. "You will come with me-"
Whack!
The monster freezes, then falls over, his chin smacking the floor. River stands behind him, holding a large book, a smirk on his face.
"Heh. First time I've picked up a book in a while." He starts walking towards Moon, when screams of fury rise from outside, and River jumps back, provoked. 3 dark red, crocodile-like monsters step inside, unarmed, with eyes filled with despise. River peers over to Moon.
"I'll handle this. Head to the bedroom." He says quietly, almost in a whisper. Moon nods, and rushes up the steps. River turns back to the monsters, a look of grave seriousness on his face. "Now. Where were we?" He rolls up his shirt sleeves, and lunges.
Moon paces around her room, nervously chewing her nails. She can hear River going to battle at this very moment. She knows she can't help him. She should just trust him. Everything is going to be ok. It plays through her head like a broken record. She walks over to her bed, and sits, still thinking to herself.
How did she let things get this out of hand? She could hear her mother's voice now, scolding her on all her mistakes, already. Maybe it was a mistake letting her lead a kingdom. Moon wallows in despair, wishing she could just disappear.
She wishes.
Wishes.
Magic.
She peers over to the box on her stand. She stares. Thinking. Lost in thought. What if…
She stands up and drops to the floor, peering under the bed. She reaches under it, and begins pulling on something. After enough tugs, the book of spells presents itself. She flips it open, and calls out
"Glossaryk!"
The pages start randomly flipping. Then stop. Slowly, Glossaryk's long head peeks up. His whole body soon rises out of the pages. He yawns, and stretches his arms out. He looks over at Moon.
"What's taken you so long? I was starting to get lonely." He smirks at her.
"Yeah yeah, don't want to hear it. I need to use my wand now. It's very urgent." A look of disapproval arrives on Glossaryk's face.
"Of coooooouuurse you only visit me when you want something. Not caring what Glossaryk ever wants." He crosses his arms.
"Glossaryk I really don't have time for this. The castle is in danger." Glossaryk starts playing with his facial hair.
"Well, I have been pretty hard on you as of late… you really shouldn't be asking me anyway. My opinion doesn't matter. You need to ask yourself if you're ready to use it."
"I, I don't understand."
"Moon." He takes a pause. "You've been able to use your wand this whole time. I couldn't even stop you if I wanted to. I've taught you a good bit of magic already. But you've kept it in that box for a long time. What's stopping you?"
"I know, I know. I'm just… scared."
"Of what? Of making mistakes? None of the queens before you were perfect anyway." He chuckles to himself. "I would be the first one to know that."
"Ok… but do you think I'm ready?" Glossaryk sighs in response.
"Back to square one, ok. Listen to me carefully. I don't know if you're ready. The only person who really knows, is you. And only you. All I can do is get you as prepared as possible, as I have with all the queens before you . And trust me, I've always gotten the job done." Moon smiles, thankfully.
"Thank you, Glossaryk." She shuts the book, and slides it back under her bed. She glides over to the box again, studying it. She delicately picks it up, and lifts the top, revealing its contents. The wand is intimidating. She gazes over it, looking it up and down. Taking a few breaths, she grips it's shaft, and lets the box hit the ground. She closes her eyes and tilts her head down, concentrating. She whispers to herself softly.
"I'm ready."