Sorry the chapter's up so late, the websites been down all day. Enjoy!
Simon had a terrible feeling that the guards at the last stop knew about his deception. They were giving him curious looks and that was making him edgy, and Elise telling him people were staring didn't help.
"Do you think they know?" Elise asked, sticking close to his side, and Simon couldn't imagine why. Although he was decent with a blade, he couldn't do much protecting without his magic, and he currently had no access to that.
"Let's hope not" Simon whispered. "We need to reach the royal city, if our friends had any sense..."
"I know, they'd go there." Elise coughed, which made Simon jump more than he'd ever admit again. "Do you think they're okay?"
"Yes, I do" Simon replied. "They are pretty capable, after all."
"I know, it's just I..."
"Stop worrying, would you?" Simon and Elise entered the main hall, and Simon immediatedly noticed the different atmosphere of the room. As oppose to the commanding presence he usually had, everyone was staring at him suspiciously. He gulped. "What?" He snapped irritably but no one responded, and he coughed.
"Your Highness, so good to see you here!" Simon turned to find a familiar pink haired woman standing there, smiling weakly. "Are you enjoying your stay with us?"
"Uhh..." Simon said until he got elbowed by Elise, and he coughed again. "Good, good. Glad to see the Commander is being respectful" He directed his insult at the men in the hall, and they looked away.
"Alright, well if you come with me, I'll show you around." Simon nodded and followed the woman through the hall, watching her warily. He knew her, but he couldn't place her. She showed them all the different facilities, but Simon was more focused on the fact that she seemed to be leading them somewhere. He began to see less and less people on their way through the building, and the Commander turned to smile at him. "Right through here is the armory. After you, your Highness." Simon nodded as he entered the room, and was met by a big broom closet.
"What the...?" Elise began, just as the Commander slammed the door behind them and glared at them.
"Earthlanders?" She asked somewhat hopefully.
"W-what?" Simon managed. "How dare you speak to me like that..."
"Cut the crap, kid I know you're not the King"
"The King?" Elise demanded. "What do you mean?"
"While you were gallivanting around with the Kings identity, he was poisoning his own parents, taking emergency control of the entire country... oh, and taking you're friends prisoner and planning to execute them for war crimes.
"What?!" Simon demanded. "We have to save them!"
"That's what I'm for" She replied. "Edolas Royal Army 2nd Division Commander Meredy at your service"
"Our service?" Elise demanded. "Aren't you loyal to the King?"
"I am loyal to the real King and Queen" Meredy replied, looking rather pissed off. "If you two can usurp his throne, then I'm all for it."
"What can you do to help?" Simon asked, grateful someone was willing to help. Meredy thought for a moment.
"I can get you guys an airship and a crew that'll listen to you without question" She finally responded. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow, though."
'How much time do we have?" Elise asked. "Until the King kills our friends?"
"About three days" Meredy said, sighing. "King Simon is making a show of power to the people of Edolas by killing the Earthland invaders. The ones that, according to him, poisoned the King and Queen. He's using it as an excuse to invade Earthland"
"Invade?!" Simon yelled, glaring at Meredy. "Just how insane am I over here?"
"Pretty insane, actually" Meredy replied. "You have had several therapists, but their um... dead"
"Oh..." Simon trailed off, not knowing what to say. "That's pretty crazy."
"Yeah." Meredy said, staring at the floor. "Just stay in this room, and don't leave until I come to get you, alright?"
"In the morning?" Elise asked, which Meredy nodded to.
"I'll have the crew and airship ready tomorrow. They'll take the longer way to the city, which will take an extra day. Believe me though, it'll be worth it too avoid Simon's scouts." She strode towards the door, and turned back to face them. "The door will be locked, but the walls are thin. Do your best not to make a sound, got it?"
"Yeah, now hurry please" Simon replied. Meredy nodded, and left the broom closet. Simon was silent, mauling it over. She had seemed rather trustworthy, and Simon was quick to trust her seeing as she wad Edo-Meredy, but his instincts told him that he should be wary. Elise sat down as quietly as she could, and Simon followed suit.
"What do you make of this, anyway?" Elise asked. "Do we trust her or no?"
"I don't think we have much of an option, she knows the truth either way." He sighed, moving a broom so he could sit more comfortingly. "All we can do is hope she is trustworthy. "
"Yeah" Elise was silent until she began moving things around, making a triumphant sound as she pulled out the head of a mop, turning to smile at him. "My pillow, call it" Simon couldn't help but smile at the childish look on her face.
"Damn it."
Simon was awoken by the door slamming open. He opened his eyes blearily, seeing the pink haired Commander standing in the doorway, a panicked look on her face.
"Up, now" She demanded, and Simon did his best to stand in his early morning state, yawning as he did so.
"What happened?" he asked wearily. Meredy threw him a cloak, and she sighed.
"The King sent out a messgae. Any Earthlanders are too be arrested and shipped to the prisons ASAP. Now that they know you're not the King, they're looking for you. I need to get you out, now"
"Alright, five more minutes" Elise grumbled, and Simon whipped her head with her cloak. "Alright, alright, I'm up, shit."
"Let's go." Meredy said, turning back to the door. "Keep your heads down and don't say a fucking word. If we find any guards, I'll do the talking, they'll listen to me."
"Right," Simon said, nervousness punching him in the stomach. They followed Meredy swiftly, doing his best to look inconspicuous. He heard guards approaching them, and he gulped.
"Commander Meredy!" One shouted. "Have you heard the news? The King here is an impostor!" Meredy growled.
"You think I haven't heard?" She hissed. "I saw him and his cohort escaping the grounds near your post! Go and get them, you fools!"
"Shit, we're going!" The guards rushed past them and Meredy continued, and Simon let out a sigh of relief.
"Man, your men our stupid" Elise said quietly. Meredy held back a chuckle.
"I know" She said. "That and their terrified of me, I'm usually pretty scary."
"Hard for us to believe" Simon said. "Earth-Meredy's a bubbly, childish person who rarely raises her voice."
"Really" Meredy asked, sounding bewildered. "Doesn't sound like me..."
"That's Edolas for you..." Elise said quietly. Simon felt the breeze from outside hit his face and the airships rudders sending air currents his way. A soldier ran up to them as Simon pushed the cloak's hood down.
"Commander Meredy!" He shouted. "The airship is ready to go!"
"Good!" Meredy shouted back over the sound of the engine as she turned back to Simon and Elise. "This is you're ride, take it." Simon nodded.
"Thank you, Meredy" he said. Meredy smiled, and for a moment, Simon saw the Crime Sociere wizard quite clearly.
"Thank me when you end the King's tyrannical reign" She replied.
"We'll do our best" Elise replied.
"If your best isn't taking him out, don't bother." Simon turned to run aboard the ship, Elise close behind. "Simon!" Simon turned to find Meredy throwing him something, a small vial of red pills. "Those are X-balls, they allow you to use your magic here!"
"Thanks!" Simon shouted back, ducking inside the ship as the bay door shut behind him. He opened the vial and downed a pill. It tasted like nothing, but he felt a surge of energy flow through him and he grinned. He threw the vial at Elise and told her to have one, and she did, grinning as well. Simon walked up behind the pilot. "How long until we reach the city?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to alert him of his presence. The Pilot sighed.
"At least a day and a half" He replied, quietly. "That's if we can avoid the sentries the King no doubt has."
"Isn't this a royal airship?" Simon asked, instantly fearing hitting the ground when being shot out of the sky.
"Yes, but the orders are to shoot down any unannounced aircraft, royal armies or not."
"Right..." Simon's next question was cut off by the airship shaking violently, Elise groaning in pain from her motion sickness, and alarms blaring quite loudly. "What the hell was that?" Simon asked, and noticed the pale look on the pilot's face.
"We're being tailed." He said lowly. "Someone must think you guys hijacked the airship and are using it too escape." Simon didn't reply as he strode towards the hangar. "Where the hell are you going?!"
"Just keep this piece of shit in the air!" Simon shouted back. "I'll deal with the airships!"
"Are you fucking insane!? They'll rip you apart!"
"I would love to see them try." Simon proceeded towards the hangar, pressing the bay door button and opening it, a violent gale of wind whipping around him as he did. "Requip!" smiling as his magic obeyed his order, he felt himself change into his Lightning Emperor Armor and he activated Meteor and took to the sky towards the tailing airships. He pointed his spear at the nearest of the three tailing him, smiling at lightning sprung from the tip and hit the first airship, sending smoke up from it's rotors. He burst through the window and landed in front of three soldiers, all of the glaring at him.
"Bastard, how did you do that?" One demanded, Simon responded by slamming the butt of his spear into his chest, sending him flying back into the wall. The other two charged, and Simon knocked one back into the control panel , causing the airship to veer downward. The final guard flew past him out the window, and Simon followed him, but using Meteor to fly towards the next airship. He growled as it fired at the airship Elise was in. He launched another tendril of Lightning, but he missed as it veered to avoid him. He landed on the roof and stabbed the spear into the roof, sending Lightning through the entire vehicle, and it sputtered and died, slowly falling to the ground following the other. Simon turned towards the final airship and flinched as it fired at him, giving him no other option but to requip to his Adamantine armor to avoid getting shot. Damn, at this rate I'll never reach it... Thinking quickly, he quickly changed into his Flight armor, and that coupled with Meteor, he moved at the speed of light towards the final ship ,smiling as he drifted easily around the bullets. He drove his rapier through the window and landed in the cockpit as he did so. He looked up to find a weapon pointed at his head.
"Move one fucking muscle." He hissed. "And I blow you're fucking head off, got it?" Simon nodded and raised his hands, trying to think of a plan to disarm the guard. He didn't have too. An iron spear burst through the window and struck the guard in the chest, sending him flying back. Simon grabbed the weapon from mid air and fired it at the control panel, causing it to spark and catch fire. He launched himself back out the window, requipping his rapier back into his Lightning spear and downing the final airship. He flew back towards this own airship and saw Elise lying on her back, staring at the roof with a green face.
"You're welcome" She groaned.
"Nice shot" Simon replied with a grin. He proceeded back to the cockpit and the pilot turned to him.
"Did you...?"
"Yeah" Simon knew the pilot was giving him a look full of awe, but he ignored it. "Will those damages slow us down?" The pilot shook his head to clear it.
"Yeah, by a few hours, unfortunately." Simon sighed. They needed to get there before King Simon executed his friends.
"Well, hurry this piece of shit up"
I love this chapter, so I hope you guys did! Can we get 5 reviews? leave one if you enjoyed!