Tales of the Multiverse
Chapter 3
The Queen and the Merry Thieves
Mega Man, Spider-Man, Link and Catwoman looked on in surprise and shock as a giant armored vehicle approached them. It was tall, and cylinder in shape, with a rounded top, had two treads on either side, roughly triangle in shape, and was all colored with deep dark blue and purple, and had two turrets on either side as well, and they could spin clockwise and counter clockwise. It was built up of three sections. The bottom part where the treads were connected, the main body where the turrets were connected, and the rounded technical head section, and each section had different triangle patters, while the head part literally had big grinning teeth along the front.
"Since when did Joker have contraptions this advanced? Let alone ones equipped with plasma turrets!" Spider-Man stated as they began to back up a little as the towering tank continued to approach.
"Almost never! He can't afford this kind of equipment, unless he's been hired by someone," Catwoman replied, and they all stopped when the tank seemed to stop.
"You're right, little kitten, we've got ourselves a new employer," a high pitched female voice spoke from within the tank, which Catwoman recognized as Harley Quinn. "And he's very interested in that rock you're carrying. So if you'll be so kind as to hand it over, I might reconsider rearranging the block."
"Can we consider how to make this transaction?" Link asked as he held up a hand.
"Hmmm, I suppose that won't hurt, I'm in a sportin mood, but not for loooong," Harley replied.
"But might be long enough," Link whispered before he turned to the others. "So, anyone have a plan of attack?"
"Well, this tank doesn't seem that durable, what with all of the dents the top has," Spider-Man replied.
"I noticed that, so what should we do?" Catwoman asked.
"Link, you get Catwoman to the hideout, Mega and I will handle this oversized can," Spider-Man replied.
"Sounds good to me. Signals?" Link asked.
"Go!" Mega Man shouted as he then aimed his Mega Buster at the treads of the tank and fired a charged shot he had been building up as the tank had approached, hitting it's mark as it made a metal wrenching pwoom.
"Hey!" Harley exclaimed as Link and Catwoman quickly ran into a nearby alleyway, continuing to run all the way to create as much distance between them and the tank as possible.
"Let's take out the treads first!" Mega Man stated as he began to fire his regular plasma shots at the bottom section of the tank while Spider-Man ran around to the back and began to alternate fast jabs, finding the metal was easily dented, but figured it was mostly due to his own strength as he wailed on it. It was around then Mega Man saw one turret switch from him to Spider-Man, and saw little yellow orbs begin to form and gather into the barrel of the turret as Spider-Man's Spider-Sense began to go off. "Look out!" and both jumped to the side as the huge flashing colored plasma shots fired out in a quick burst past them.
"Huh, guess your little contraption is a bit on the slow side," Spider-Man remarked.
"No fair! Hold still!" Harley exclaimed as the two began to run circles around the tank, Mega Man firing at the treads rapidly, doing considerable damage to it as Spider-Man would stop and give it a good sock on occasion, until they saw it begin to spark and sputter, making them back off before the entire tread section exploded, sending the upper portions into the air briefly before they slammed down, rendering the machine immobile.
"Not exactly the most sturdy weapon of destruction is it?" Mega Man remarked as Spider-Man leaped up onto the head.
"I think it's only dangerous against pedestrians," Spider-Man added as he began to pound and slam his fists into the tank as Mega Man fired quick partially charged shots to deal more damage to the main body, the both of them were out of harms way of the turrets.
"Just wait till I get my hands on you!" Harley exclaimed before the turrets suddenly popped off the sides and went sputtering as they clattered against the pavement, and the head began to spin a little.
"Time to bail!" Spider-Man stated as he quickly sprung from where he sat before the whole head exploded, leaving torn and twisted metal sticking out away from the tank like an ugly flower blossom. As Spider-Man landed near Mega Man, it was when Harley Quinn's seat rose up on a metal extending post, levers were in place of the arms of the chair, and there was a whole box of bombs attached to the back of the chair. Her costume was red and black in sections, each earner of her body was a different color, one arm was red, the other was black, each was opposite and had little different colored diamonds somewhere in those sections, and her face was white with a black eye mask on her face, her costume was like that of a jester.
"You little twerps aren't getting off that easy!" she shouted before she began to hurl bombs rapidly at them with lit fuses.
"EYIAE! She's gone mental!" Mega Man yelped as he began to shoot the bombs out of the air.
"I'm pretty sure she already was mental!" Spider-Man remarked as he tried assisting by shooting quick little web strands to either explode a bomb or knock it off course, but Harley was chucking too many of them for the two to keep up with, and several hit the ground before them, and the series of explosions resulting from it knocked them a few feet back with loud grunts as they hit the ground.
"I'll pound ya flat!" Harley stated as her seat quickly went back down into the remains of the tank, and suddenly it sprung up into the air towards the two dazed heroes, who quickly looked on in horror as the bottom of the tank closed in on them rapidly, and a loud clang resulted, but to their surprise it wasn't from it flattening them, it was the sound of something striking the tank, and made it sail continuously past them and began to list forward in the direction it was falling, eventually slamming down into the pavement with a firm halt. "NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harley screamed as she flew from the seat and soared through the air, eventually nose diving straight into a dumpster. The two just stared in shock at the close shave they just had, before they looked back to see just what had saved them from being squashed flat.
And that was when they saw her land gracefully onto her foot, and softly set her other foot down. She had long, smooth, lush black hair, a golden tiara resting on her forehead, with a tall point sticking up in the middle, with a bright red star resting in the center. Her eyes were a gentle deep blue, her lips were soft and a lovely shade of red. Her outfit composed of a one piece styled suit, with a red upper portion that went above her chest and was low in the back, and in the front were what appeared to be eagle wings roughly in the shape of a W. Around her waist was a golden belt, that had a small point around the middle pointing up, and attached to the belt was a golden lasso with softly sparkled. Below the belt the costume was a deep blue, with several white stars about it, and on her wrists were silver bracelets that had a special shine to them. Her legs were bare, save for her red knee high boots, which also had a tall point around the middle, along with a white stripe that went from the front of her toes, to the top of her boots and went around the rim. Her face was simply beautiful, her figure was slender, yet a little athletic. Spider-Man recognized her as the Princess of the Amazons, Wonder Woman.
"That was a bit close for comfort…but you saved us Wonder Woman…very good timing, right when we needed ya," Spider-Man said as he got up to his feet as Wonder Woman approached them, a soft sway in her hair with a gentle grace in her steps.
"I heard a bit of a commotion around here, so when I saw you from my invisible jet, I leaped down and gave the tank a firm kick as it attempted to stomp you flat," Wonder Woman said as she stopped in front of the two.
"And not a moment too soon," Spider-Man remarked, but then noticed Wonder Woman was looking down, and following her gaze he saw Mega Man was still sitting, but was staring at Wonder Woman, he appeared to be rendered speechless.
"Is something the matter with him?" she asked.
"I, don't think he's used to seeing beautiful women," Spider-Man replied as Mega Man did begin to stand up. And he couldn't have been anymore right, while Mega Man did consider Jill attractive, Hannah pretty, Batgirl cute, and Selina beautiful, Wonder Woman was positively stunning.
"I think he's shy," Wonder Woman smiled softly as she giggled, noticing his small blush. "While I am called Wonder Woman, I'm really Princess Diana of the Amazons. But you can…" she didn't get to finish as Mega Man's blush became more intense as his body stiffened.
"A…a Princess!?" he asked, sounding astonished, and then proceeded to get on one knee, bowing his head like a knight or loyal servant to a king or queen, which made Spider-Man stare as Wonder Woman put a hand to her lips as she looked at Mega Man in surprise. "Th…thank you your majesty…for saving us…" Wonder Woman felt a little bashful from this before she bent down slightly, gripping Mega Man's shoulders and promptly hoisted him up to his feet and stood him upright.
"While I do appreciate the gesture, you really don't have to go that far with the formalities," Wonder Woman explained as she looked Mega Man in the eyes, a very gentle smile on her face and a calming look in her eyes. "Just treat me like you would your fellow heroes. With at least a little respect for my gender."
"Y…yes ma'am…" Mega Man said shyly. Around then Harley managed to partially climb out of the dumpster she flew into, but hung over the side as she had a bit of junk to muscle her way through to get this far.
"Oie…this just isn't my day…" she groaned before Spider-Man grabbed one of the dangling parts of her hood, and pulled her up by it. "OW! Watch it! That's my hair your pullin!" Spider-Man then took his other hand and gripping the fabric of her costume around her neck area roughly and held her by that instead as he looked down at her.
"Alright Harle, mind explaining just where and whom you and the Joker got the tech from to use plasma weaponry?" Spider-Man asked.
"Do what ya will, you ain't gonna make me squeal on Mr.J!" Harley replied.
"Spunky little minx, isn't she?" Mega Man asked.
"Spunk notin, more of typical quote unquote blond stupidity," Spider-Man replied.
"HEY! I'm not even a real blond ya know!" Harley spouted.
"Yeah well, ya got the I.Q. of one," Spider-Man retorted as he pulled Harley in closer and glared right into her eyes for a few seconds before turning his head around to look at Mega Man and Wonder Woman. "This obviously ain't getting us anywhere. Any ideas?"
"Well, I don't see or know of any reason that'll stop me from getting what we need out of her," Wonder Woman replied as she removed her lasso from her belt.
"With a rope?" Mega Man asked.
"Magic Lasso actually," Wonder Woman replied as she began to make a loop in it like cowboys used to do for rustling cattle. "No matter how strong or how good they are at escaping ropes, no one can slip free of it's grip. And no one bound by it can tell a lie, not even under vow of silence." Spider-Man got Harley into position, and Wonder Woman placed the loop around her, pulling it taught and pinned her arms down.
"Alright, what's so special about that gemstone we found, and who hired you and Joker to collect them?" Mega Man asked.
"…they're called Chaos Emeralds, they apparently hold some special powers but I dunno how or all the details, there's supposed to be seven of them according to ," Harley replied.
" ?" Spider-Man asked as he and the other two stared.
"And here I thought some of the Robot Master's names were ridiculous, but seriously, EGGman? That's the most hilarious name I ever heard!" Mega Man stated as he began to get a laughing fit. Wonder Woman couldn't help but chuckle a little as well but quickly composed herself as she looked back at Harley.
"Names aside, where do these Chaos Emeralds come from? Are they of this world, as well as this doctor?" she asked.
"They apparently both come from another world, but I was never told the details," Harley replied.
"Can you tell us where they are?" Spider-Man asked.
"No, we've been meeting in numerous places, and non of been revisited, and we've made sure no clues or traces were left behind," Harley replied.
"Is there anything else you can tell us that'll be helpful?" Mega Man asked.
"Nadda!" Harley spat, and was then met with a firm sock from Spider-Man, knocking her clean out, and partially into the dumpster. Both stared a bit in shock before Wonder Woman looked over at him.
"You were waiting to do that were you?" she asked.
"Don't act like she didn't have it comin," Spider-Man replied as he crossed his arms before Mega Man went to go and retrieve the lasso for Wonder Woman.
"Well, all that aside, and getting these goons tied up for the police to nab, we should find Catwoman and Link and try to meet up with the others, potentially at the X-Mansion," Mega Man stated as he handed the end of the lasso to Wonder Woman as she rolled it up.
"I'll fetch the Invisible Jet while you take care of things here," Wonder Woman stated before she went off as Spider-Man and Mega Man then pulled out Harley's unconscious body from the dumpster. A few minutes later Wonder Woman had the jet parked in the middle of the street as Spider-Man finished securing the goons together before rushing over to the jet, Mega Man behind him and both jumped aboard and got into the passenger seats behind Wonder Woman before the jet took off. Afterwards the female figure that was watching before in the black dress or robes approached the wreckage of the tank, and ran her long pale hands across it's surface.
"What a pitiful hunk of junk, to be bested by beings of flesh so easily. However…that blue one with the weaponized arm…" she looked towards where the Invisible Jet flew. "He might be useful, if I could persuade him."
-In Another World-
"So, that was Gummi Ship travel?" Goeniko asked as she stood in a heavily forested area with Sora and Riku. "Most intriguing." the current group a little reduced, but it composed of Goeniko, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, whom they picked up on the way. She had slightly short red-ish hair, blue eyes, and wore a sleeveless white shirt, a pick sleeveless type coat with a zipper in the middle, and the length of the coat went to about mid thigh, a black belt around her waist, small white socks and small lavender shoes, along with three bracelets on her left wrist. .After a few minutes as the group walked through the forest, Sora gave Riku a light nudge to get his attention, indicating he wanted a private conversation.
"What is it?" Riku whispered.
"So, you got a little thing for Goeniko?" Sora teased.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku retorted.
"Oh come on. I saw you eyeing her a little. Where's the harm in that?" Sora asked.
"None I guess…but I dunno…I guess I'm just a little paranoid," Riku replied. Sora was a bit confused by that remark but before he could question further they all began to smell something.
"Hey, something is cooking," Kairi commented.
"Smells like it's burning more like," Goeniko retorted. The group then hurried through the forest, and took a peek around some trees and bushes, and their eyes stared in complete shock, two large animals, in human clothes. One was a red fox, wearing a yellow hat with a red feather, a green tunic with a belt, and green shoes. The other was a tall brown bear, dressed in mostly the same, except he had a green hat, an a white apron was he was working on laundry, while the fox seemed to be daydreaming as he stirred a bubbling pot.
"Hey!" the bear called to the fox in a fairly distinctive voice.
"Hm…hey what? What'd you say?" the fox asked as he then looked towards the bear.
"Awe forget it, your mind's not on food," the bear replied as he gave a wave of his hand before picking up a white sheet and gave it a few flicks. "You're thinking of somebody with looooong eyelashes." the bear batted his own eyelashes as he spoke that part. Goeniko then proceeded to faceplam.
"Oievey…" she groaned.
"And you're smelling that sweet perfume," the bear continued as a bit of smoke began to wafer in from the pot, and as he proceeded to sniff he got a good whiff of it and began to gag.
"Whoa! Hey it's boiling over!" the fox exclaimed in a panic, and tried to grasp the handles but it was too hot, the bear then hurried over.
"You're burnin the chow!" he exclaimed as he grasped the handles with his apron as the fox jumped back while he swiftly hoisted the pot, and stuck it into a nearby stump where the fox previously sat, and then used the sheet he was carrying to wave away the smoke.
"I'm sorry Johnny, guess I was thinking about Maid Marian again," the fox sighed as he whipped a small stain on his tunic off. "I can't help it. I love her Johnny."
"Look, why don't ya stop moaning and mopin around and just marry the girl," John stated as he poured new water into the pot as he tossed a beige shirt at the fox, and it landed on his head.
"Marry her!?" the fox asked in an astonished turn as he pulled the shirt off of his head before shaking his head a little and the walked over a little. "You don't just walk up to a girl, hand her a bouquet and say "Hey, remember me, we were kids together, will you marry me?" no…it just isn't done that way." he then began to walk over to the clothes line.
"Awe come on Robby, climb the castle walls," John paused as he pulled out a carrot on a spoon and gave said carrot a bit of a disgusted look before quickly swiping it away. "Sweep her off her feet! Carry her off in style!" while the others found that to be encouraging words Robin simply sighed.
"It's no use Johnny, I've thought it all out and…it just wouldn't work…" he shook his head in depression. "Besides, what have I got to offer her?" he then looked back at John.
"Well, for one thing you can't cook," John teased.
"I'm serious Johnny, she's a high born lady of quality," Robin stated as he picked up a sheet to hang up, and at that moment the others saw what looked like a monk or friar was walking up onto this small camp.
"So she's got class. So what?" John asked as he tapped the contents of a shaker into the stew before shrugging.
"I'm an outlaw, that's what!" Robin stated as he draped the sheet over a nearby clothesline. "That's no life for a lovely lady, always on the run. What kind of a future is that?" he adjusted the sheet a little more.
"Oh for heaven's sake son!" the friar exclaimed, which startled Robin as he flailed his arms about before falling backwards into a basket. "You're no outlaw! Why someday you'll be called a great hero!"
"A hero?" Robin chuckled. "You hear that Johnny? We've just be pardoned!"
"Oho! That's a gas! We haven't even been arrested yet!" John stated jokingly.
"Alright, laugh you two rogues, but there's a big to do in Nottingham," the friar stated as he waved his finger while walking over to the pot, grapping a spoon and cupped a little of the stew and took a sip, before coughing out a few perfect smoke circles as it brought tears to his eyes. "Well that ain't it! Ol Prince John's havin a championship archery tournament tomorrow!"
"Archery tournament? Ha! Ol Rob can win that standin on his head, huh?" John laughed.
"Thank you, Little John," Robin stated as he gave a bow with his hat. "But I'm sure we're not invited." he then proceeded to quickly put his hat back on.
"No. But there will be someone very disappointed if you don't come," the friar stated.
"Yeahah, ol butcho britches, the "honorable" sheriff of Nottingham," John stated proudly yet jokingly at the same time.
"No, Maid Marian," the friar corrected.
"Maid Marian?" Robin asked as his eyes seem to sparkle.
"This Maid Marian must be beautiful in more ways than one," Kairi commented.
"I'll bet. This is starting to sound like a dilemma we can help with," Sora added.
"Yeah! She's gonna give a kiss to the winner!" the friar added before chuckling a bit.
"A kiss to the winner?" Robin asked, sounding practically robbed of breath. "Oodahlolly! Come on Johnny, what are we waitin for!?" he then proceeded to spring about and soon did a cartwheel.
"Wait a minute Rob!" Little John said as he waved his hands a little. "That place will be crawlin with soliders!" but around then Robin had grabbed his bow and slipped on his quiver, and jumped up onto a nearby setup platform.
"Ahhh, but remember! Faint heart, never won, fair lady! Fear not my friends!" Robin stated proudly before he quickly drew and arrow and fired it, making it hit off of a pan and it deflected off of it into the air. "For this will be my greatest, performance!" he then tossed his hat into the air, and the arrow then whizzed past it, making it spin rapidly before dropping, and landed squarely on his head. After that impressive display, both Sora and Kairi began to applaud and almost cheered, which got everyone's attention.
"It would figure wouldn't it?" Goeniko asked as she rested an elbow against a tree trunk and her head against the palm of the same arm as she looked at the two.
"Well, looks like we've gout ourselves some sight seer's," Robin remarked.
"And some interesting ones at that. I don't believe they're prince John's men," Little John said.
"Pardon our intrusions good sirs," Goeniko said as she stepped forward, placing her hands upon her lap and bowed a little. "But we couldn't help but overhear your conversation. If we may, might we lend you some assistance?"
"Yeah, if anything we can lend a hand should things get a little hairy at the tournament. Eh, pardon the pun," Sora commented.
"Hmmm, these guys might be able to help keep our eyes peeled for trouble and could more easily move around a bit more than we could," Little John said.
"It might just work. Alright, let's work out the plan of action, and what we'll be doing. Now I'm counting on you lot. So what might be your names young ones?" Robin said as he came down.
"Well, this is Sora, and his friends Riku, and Kairi," Goeniko said as she motioned to the three of them, before she put a hand to her chest, and side one of the sides of her skirt and raised it as she did a bow while setting one leg on it's toes behind her. "And I, an Goeniko Schlussel."
"Hmmm, I must say you have quite the interesting appearances. Of course who are we to talk I suppose," Robin remarked. "I, am Robin Hood, and this is my friend Little John, and our trusted colleague, Friar Tuck. We'll have a busy day tomorrow, so we'll do our best to fill you in on what we can expect to see at the Archery Tournament upon arrival."
-In Another World-
"And all we found out was that this gem is called a Chaos Emerald, and there's six left of them to find," Mega Man said as Wonder Woman held onto said Emerald, examining it as they stood in the War Room of the X-Mansion, along with Jill, Jack, Hannah, Link, Spider-Man, Catwoman, and Charles Xavier. The War Room was large and round, with several monitors and computer consoles lining the walls, in addition to a holographic generation in the middle of the room with several control panels, and chairs abound. In addition to this one of the mini monitors on one of the control panels in the middle displayed Batgirl as she sat in the Batcave, listening to the conversation. "And we don't know what they exactly do or where they're from. Only that a is after them, and has enlisted Joker of all people to assist him."
"Hmmm, it might explain why even aside from that ordeal with Ra's and Ivy, crime itself in Gotham has seemed to have grown to such a slow crawl, it's practically nothing anymore almost," Batgirl said.
"You mean it's more stuff the police can actually handle," Catwoman retorted.
"So what is Batman actually doing currently if there's next to no crime then?" Spider-Man asked.
"He's mostly trying to figure out where Ra's and Wesker fled to after Neifirst had destroyed their lab. Although it's a safe bet they're long gone from Gotham I think, he wants to be sure. But currently I think we're being faced with more pressing matters," Batgirl replied.
"What's going on that needs our attention then?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Well, you guys naturally are aware of the gateway you found Jack and Hannah through," Batgirl replied.
"Oh no, did something happen to it?" Jack asked, his tone sound half expectant of horrible news.
"Nothing serious, but it might be if left unchecked. Ya see, I'm picking up energy that's pouring through the gateway. Or rather within. It's some sort of temporal flux. It's stable, but obviously there is something inter dimensional going on inside that world, in more ways than one I think," Batgirl replied. "I get the feeling if it's left unchecked we'll be faced with a problem later on."
"And if we don't act soon, I bet you know who might get there first," Link stated as he crossed his arms.
"Well, I can't say we can discount the possibility she's aware of this potentially. But I doubt even she can act this fast. You guys rest up, and I'll met you there first thing at sunrise," Batgirl said.
"You're coming here?" Hannah asked, a bit astonished by this revelation.
"Well, I get the feeling you're gonna need a little assistance. And besides, Wonder Woman and I assume the X-Men will have to stay here should someone need to handle a situation that arises while we're gone," Batgirl replied. "This isn't a typical fight we're in. We have to properly strategize if we're gonna have any hope of winning. I get the feeling we're gonna have a lot of away teams and home teams before this is all said and done."
"Sheesh, when ya put it that way it sounds like we're in the middle of a war," Spider-Man said.
"Who says it isn't already one?" Xavier retorted, which resulted in a brief silence.
"He has a point," Wonder Woman stated.
"I'll meet you at the gateway first thing in the morning. Make sure you're ready," Batgirl said before the connection ended.
"You're free to stay here for the night, we have plenty of room as you well know," Xavier said.
"Thanks prof. After all that goon bashing and bot beating, I'm actually pretty tuckered out. I just have to make a call real quick before I crash for the night," Spider-Man said before he went off into the mansion in halls as the electric door hummed open and closed.
"I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to automatic doors," Hannah remarked.
-Time passes in another world-
It way the day of the archery tournament in Nottingham, and the whole townsfolk were there, as there was a royal song played on in the air via the elephants blowing their trunks up in the towers, whilst a few marched, in addition to big rhino guards marching and stood on guard. Near some of the several bright red and yellow tents setup nearby, around the tree-line Sora and his companions along with Robin Hood and Little John. Currently though Sora's little group went to scout ahead while the two of them hung back. Soon Sora and the others peaked over a hedge near the path that led to the archery grounds and encampment of sorts.
"Place almost seems like a circus," Kairi said.
"It's the style of the competitions back in these times. Vendors set themselves up to try and get some money from travelers and the contestants if possible by selling their wares," Goeniko told her.
"You've studied that?" Riku asked, a bit curious.
"I'm one of culture," Goeniko replied as she put a hand to her chest.
"Whoa, it looks like we're not the only ones here," Sora said, prompting the others to glance at him, and then in the direction he was looking, which took them by surprise. They saw a pair of rather individualistic looking women. One wore a deep blue jumpsuit, with a red stripe going down the front, two branches going off to either side below her chest, and another set of branches between her legs making a makeshift form of an undergarment of sorts, knee high black boots with a purple line going up from around the toes to the edge around the top of the boots. A black belt on her hips with a golden edged buckle, which held a sheath with a sword of some kind on her right side. She also wore red gloves, with three bright pink frilly points at the elbow, along with a purple cape with a black inside, that connected with two large buttons on a red band around her shoulders at the top of her uniform. She had pinkish-red eyes, yet despite the color had a fierce gaze as she wore a blue helmet atop her head, adorned in the front and around the edges with a bright red metal. In the front was a pointed tip in the center like that roughly of a diamond, while there were two taller and larger curved points on either side, pointing towards each other while in the middle of these curves and the very center of the helm were dazzling greenish-blue gems, and had very long, lush and slightly curly bright blue hair.
The other wore a more vibrant pale blue jumpsuit, with a slightly darker blue stripe going down the middle, branching under her chest and belt that seemed to connect to what appeared to be a coat, as well as above her chest and over her shoulders, which bore shoulder pads. Her belt was also with a golden buckle, hover, this buckle was solid with two lines near the center compared to the other's buckle. She wore black knee high boots with the same dark blue line going up from the toes, but had knee slight knee guards at the top of her boots that were more of decoration than protection. She also wore black gloves that went up to her elbows with a single darker blue pointed tip border. At the front of her neck were four marks, three yellow squares placed vertically above each other, with a triangle pointing downwards below them. She also wore a much shorter pale blue cape with a red inside, along with an unusual looking helm. While it's form was normal for the most part, the main body having the same pale blue as the rest of her attire with a darker blue border, with rounded pale blue ear sections, but the middle top area of the helm was recessed, with a darker blue section, that had a part that stuck up roundly and was tilted forward a little, with three pale blue squares in the same pattern as at her neck, minus the triangle. Her hair was a deep dark blue, and was long but much shorter than the other woman's, and less impressive, but was still beautifully smooth, along with her dark blue eyes. She had a much gentler disposition compared to the other, and was a little younger. She followed closely behind the older one as they went along the path, soon approaching the observing stands near where the archery will be taking place, the royal box area to be precise.
"Oh my goodness…those women are beautiful!" Kairi exclaimed in a stunned whisper.
"Not to mention intimidating, that one woman looked deadly serious," Riku said.
"Like you?" Sora teased with a wide grin.
"Sora you!…" Goeniko trailed off in her protest as she withdrew a fist but froze, making everyone stare before she put a hand to her forehead, her voice sounded suddenly younger those few seconds. "S…sorry, I don't know what came over me…" her voice sounded normal, and she did seem a little wobbly, which puzzled everyone, especially Riku. Nearby within the royal box, which was a platform with stairs leading up the one side, a railing in front, a few chairs, and a lush curtain and tapestry behind the chairs, stood a slightly short lion without a mane, and wore a crown encrusted with jewels that seemed to be a size too large for his head, and he wore royal robes that almost seemed liked pajamas with how they were too large for him as well. And next to him on his left in a smaller seat was a snake with a little blue hat that had a small feather in it, along with a tinny little blue cape of sorts. He currently sat taller than the lion, due to him sitting in only a small coil.
" Hiss, this is a red letter day. A Coup d'etat, to coin a Norman phrase," the lion said joyfully and sinisterly near the end as he plopped back into the seat.
"Yes, indeed, sire. Your plan to capture Robin Hood in public is sheer genius. Hoo hoo hoo!" Hiss chuckled as well, with a slight hissing lisp on his "s".
"Hiss, no one sits higher than the king," the lion remarked before he gripped Hiss' neck and pulled him down to where he sat several inches shorter. "Must I remind you, Hiss? Tsk tsk tsk tsk."
"Do forgive me, I didn't mean to-" Hiss tried to apologize.
"My trap is baited and set. And then, revenge! Ah, revenge!" the lion exclaimed joyfully.
"Shhh! Not so loud, sire. Remember, only you and I know, and your s-s-secret is my s-s-secret," Hiss whispered, ending up sticking his tongue into the lion's ear.
"S-st- Stop hissing in my ear!" the lion laughed as he stuck his finger into his ear and tried to get rid of the tickling sensation before what Hiss said sunk in. "Secret? What secret?"
"Why, the capture of Robin Hood, sire," Hiss replied.
"That insolent blackguard. Ooh! I'll show him who wears the crown!" the lion said in an angered tone, shaking a finger in the air.
"I share your loathing, sire. That scoundrel fooled you with that silly disguise, who dared to rob you, making you look so utterly ridiculous," Hiss added on and on, not realizing how much blabbering he was doing.
"Enough!" the lion shouted and swung his fist at Hiss, whom quickly leaned further to the left to avoid getting hit. "Hiss, you deliberately dodged…" he pointed his finger judgingly at Hiss.
"But-but-but, sire. Please," Hiss begged, not wanting to be hit.
"Stop sniveling and hold still," the lion said in an annoyed and disgusted tone. Hiss obliged as he braced himself to be hit and was then firmly bonked on the top of his head.
"Thank you sire…" Hiss moaned. Around then was when they noticed the two women approaching.
"Well, I must say, this actually looks promising," the lion said as he looked in their direction.
"My goodness they're tall!" Hiss remarked. The pair approached the platform and stopped in front of them on the other side of the railing.
"Hello and welcome to Nottingham, and who might you distinguished ladies be?" the lion asked nonchalantly.
"I, am Queen Baraluda, and this is my personal assistant, Looda," the one with the vibrant bright blue hair replied.
"We're strangers to this land, and couldn't help but notice the festivities while we were passing through. Who might you be?" Looda asked.
"I, I am Prrrrince John, king, of Nottingham," he replied, rolling heavily with the "R". Neither of them seemed to be all too impressed.
"I see," Baraluda said rather flatly.
"But if I may, what does bring you here, if you're from out of town?" Prince John asked.
"I am looking for someone but I haven't had much luck, and I doubt she's been here otherwise I'm sure we'd had spotted her given the type of crowd here," Baraluda replied.
"Hmmm quite right," Prince John agreed. Meanwhile around the edges of the camp near where the trees and bushes were thick, a tall female fox wearing a pink shall, a pale purple dress of sorts over a pink top with fluffy sleeves and shoes to match was walking with a short white chicken garbed in solid pale blue robe and a little blue hat.
"Klucky I'm so excited. But how will I recognize him?" the fox asked as she paused before Klucky began gently pushing her to continue.
"Oh, he'll let you know somehow. That rogue of yours is full of surprises, my dear," Klucky replied as he ushered the fox towards where Prince John was sitting. Meanwhile unknown to the two Robin Hood, garbed in an outfit of a big pale green top, a big purple hat, a blue head scarf, standing on stilts that his top hid, and little black boots along with feathers hiding his arms, to where he almost looked like a bird but he lacked the beak. And Little John was beside him, wearing a pinkish purple outfit that was supposed to be for royalty but it was ten times too small for him. Along with a blond wig, big moustache and a monocle.
"There she is, Little John. Isn't she beautiful?" Robin asked as he got a bit love struck by the Maid Marian and he tried to head off for her but John acted fast by pulling him back and putting the beak onto his face.
"Cool it, lover boy. Your heart's running away with your head," John stated.
"Ah, stop worrying. This disguise would fool my mother," Robin stated confidently as he tied the strings attached to the beak behind his head, to which Little John chuckled.
"But you're mom ain't here. You gotta fool old Bushel Britches," John remarked slyly as he motioned with his thumb to the approaching sheriff who wasn't really paying attention. He was an obese gray wolf, wearing red sheriff clothing, a hat with purple stripes and feather, crimson shoes, puffy purple sleeves with magenta stripes, gold star badge on his chest, and wears a gold medallion round his neck.
"Sheriff, your honor!" Robin exclaimed with a bit of a heavy accent that hid his true voice while he took the Sheriff's hand and began rapidly shaking it.
"Well now thank you, oh! Excuse me, I gotta go win this tournament," the sheriff replies after being shaken up a bit and walks off.
"Rob's not a bad actor, but wait till he see's this scene I lay on Prince John," Little John chuckled to himself a little as he began to approach the "royal box" as it's called. Goeniko began to make her own approach since she figured Sora and his companions might be recognized but she'd be a safe bet. However while just about halfway there she paused as she stared wide eyed at the passing visage of Little John and was stuck in a bit of a frozen stupor as he continued on passed.
"What…on…" she barely uttered as her head slowly followed him.
"Ah! Me lord! My esteemed royal sovereign of the realm, the head man himself," Little John began exclaiming with a bit of an accent as he briefly removed his monocle and put it back on, drawing everyone currently by and in the royal box's attention, especially Baraluda and Looda as he continued his approach. "You're, beautiful." the added emphasis on the latter word made Baraluda turn her head slightly and raise a very curious brow.
"There's something awfully suspicious here…" she whispered.
"Should we warn the "king" of this?" Looda whispered back.
"No…we'll let this play out. I'm not sure what's going to happen but if we partake in what may come, it might draw out "her"," Baraluda replied.
"He has style, eh, Hiss? Du savoir faire, il y a n'est ce as, Hiss?" Prince John spoke a bit poorly in the end.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, P.J.," Little John quipped jokingly.
"P.J.! I like that! Oh, I do! Hiss, put it on my luggage. P.J., ha ha ha ha ha! P.J., yes," Prince John laughed a fair bit as the nickname, which made Baraluda and Looda stare at each other with the look of "What the heck is his problem?" kind of expression on their faces.
"Hmph! And you…who might you be sir?" Sir hiss hissed at Little John as he nearly got up to his face, having an accusing glare in his eyes.
"I am Sir Reginald, Duke of Chutney," Little John replied as he removed his monocle again briefly before putting it back. "And don't stick your tongue out at me, kid." he then quickly removed his little hat and stuck on Hiss' mouth, and it was the perfect size shockingly enough.
"And who might you fine lasses be?" he then turned his attention to the pair.
"I am Queen Baraluda, and this is my assistant and travel companion, Looda. We're currently just passing through, and noticed the festivities and wish to see how it plays out before we continue on our way," Baraluda replied fairly honestly.
"Not a bad idea, as I doubt it'll be a day to forget!" Little John replied a bit jovial before turning his attention back to P.J.. "And now, your Mightiness, allow me to lay some protocol on you." he was about to kiss Prince John's hand with a hidden intent for the rings but he quickly pulled his hand away.
"Oh, no no. Forgive me, but I lose more jewels that way. Please sit down," Prince John replied as he motioned for Little John to sit. Whom promptly took him up on the invitation in a swift motion which made Goeniko who was a bit closer now and watching this scene unfold, quickly cover her mouth as she watched him firmly sit on Hiss' seat.
"Thanks, P.J.! Nothing better than the royal box," Little John chuckled before he suddenly developed a bit of a violent switch. "Oh hey! Hey, what's this?" he quickly reached down and quickly pulled out Hiss out from under himself. Whom looked pretty annoyed and pretty ruffled.
"Oh goodness…" Goeniko chuckled a bit discretely while Looda couldn't help but smile at this technical comedic moment.
"Oh, excuse me, buster!" Little John laughed a bit.
"Buster!? You, sir, have taken my seat!" Hiss protested. To this both Prince John and Little John began laughing.
"Hiss, with you around, who needs a court jester? Ha ha ha ha ha!" Prince John laughed a bit to which Hiss looked a bit emotionally hurt by this statement. "Now get out there and keep your snake eyes open for you-know-who."
"You…you mean I…I'm being dismissed?" Hiss asked a bit emotionally.
"You heard him. Move it, creepy," Little John remarked as he dropped Hiss down and proceeded to nudge him away. "Get lost. Begone, long one." Hiss moved away, feeling a bit dejected and very annoyed, heading roughly in Goeniko's direction.
"What cheek! Creepy. Buster. Long one! Whose that Duke thinks he is?" Hiss grumbled to himself as Goeniko faintly turned at the hip and slightly shifted her feet due to Hiss not quite paying attention as he then moved across her feet briefly while Friar Tuck and a rooster carrying a lute.
"Now, he's up to something Friar," the rooster commented.
"Yeah, come on," Friar Tuck replied.
"He's obviously going to be trying to find Robin Hood, we'd better stop him before he does so," Goeniko whispered as she then went along with the two of them quickly into the crowds. Baraluda noticed this little moment and began to suspect something.
"I just spotted another human, Looda," she whispered. "There is indeed something going on here, and I believe it'll be even bigger than what's about to transpire before this day is through."
"And what makes you say that?" Looda asked, sounding a little concerned.
"Because…I have this feeling that something much bigger is taking place all around us…us finding this strange world, how we're not the only ones here. Something much bigger is going on here," Baraluda replied as she looked off into the distance a little while things were getting setup for the archery tournament. "I believe if we follow things through, it'll eventually lead us to her. It's about time we settle that unfinished score…" she then felt along her left abdomen a bit, an old wound lay hidden there, one she hadn't forgotten, that searing burning pain, those words.
"…we will meet again someday…"
Chapter end.