I'm back again! Thank you to the one person who voted. Wanna know what the best thing about only getting one vote on a poll is? You don't have to worry about ties. (Seriously, if the polls ever get more than one vote one day and there ends up being a tie between two suggestions, I don't know what I'm gonna do.)
Anyway, the option that won this week was the one for "Camelot," which I believe is a good choice as far as early chapters go (it's also good because I'm not even close to being done with the "Unicorn" chapter). Let's describe what I had in mind, shall we?
So, in this chapter, Madeline, CJ, and Devon and Cornwall have prepared a play based on one of their imagination games but unfortunately can't perform it in public due to Devon and Cornwall's wish to remain a secret from other humans of the realm. Then one day, the dragon comes upon an advertisement for a theater competition held in...you guessed it...Camelot! There they meet King Arthur, Merlin, and all the knights of the round table, who at first see Devon and Cornwall as threats to the kingdom. Things get worse when during Madeline and CJ's pleas to spare the duo, Arthur learns about the portal between Madeline's realm and his, and believes it dangerous to leave open. So, in order to keep their friendship intact, Madeline, CJ, and the dragons enter the competition, where if they win, they will be allowed to come and go as they please. Madeline decides that since Devon is the most passionate about the arts that he should be the director. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the power to go to the snooty reptile's head and he starts bossing the others around, demanding they do things his way and thus, putting his friendship with the children in jeopardy. Can they somehow still win the contest and stay friends despite the dispute?
Wow, that was a long description. No wonder this thing ended up being over 10,000 words.
So, yeah, this will be the chapter that introduces Camelot. Like I said, I think it's best to get this one done early, because many of my upcoming scenarios involve Camelot and the characters residing there. Now that this has been posted, I can start putting those suggestions into the polls.
Sorry this one isn't super fantastical, it's just so much easier for me to write slice-of-life stories. Now I know how the Friendship is Magic writers felt.
Chapter 12
The Play
The knight poked his head into the dark, dreary cave. To his dismay, it was every bit as spooky as he had been told before he set off on this risky quest. Spiders were crawling all over the walls, the path was uneven with rocks spread out over it, and the only sound that could be heard was the dripping of a mysterious liquid falling from the ceiling. It was then the knight understood why no other member of his caste had been successful with this mission. Most of them probably just turned tail and ran by the time they made it this far. But this knight wasn't like all the others. He knew that no matter what terror he was about to face in this cave, it wasn't worth giving up. In the end, he was going to fight his way through the dangers or die trying. At the very least, the kingdom would remember him as the one who came the closest to victory.
"We're almost there," he said, pushing his black hair out of his dark-colored eyes. "This way, loyal steed."
"Arf! Arf!" the knight's black-and-white steed hopped into the cave behind its master and panted excitedly.
The knight picked up a lit torch hanging on the cave wall and used it to light his way.
"Keep your eyes open." the knight instructed the steed. "You never know what could be lurking around here."
"Arf!"
Both of them started to make their way down the path of various-sized rocks, some of which were so big that they had to climb over them. It wasn't easy, though, given that they were slippery due to the liquid dripping from the ceiling. Eventually, the two heroes got past the obstacle, only to immediately run into a new one: an entire swarm of sleeping vampire bats.
"Shh!" the knight whispered. "Move slowly. Don't make a sound."
"Arf!"
The loud bark echoed off the cave walls, awakening the bats. Their red eyes focused in on the heroes and they hissed, clearly unhappy about being disturbed.
"Go, go, go!" the knight ordered the steed.
"Arf!" the steed complied and ran alongside him as the bats started to give chase.
The knight thought he'd be able to outrun them, but somehow they proved to be faster than they looked and caught up in mere seconds. The knight ducked his head as a few of them swooped down onto him. With no other option, he drew his sword and swiped at the bats furiously, hoping to drive them away. All the while, the steed continued barking in an attempt to scare them.
After fighting them off for what seemed like quite a while, the bats finally backed off and retreated into the dark. The knight sighed and put back his sword.
"That was a close one." he said.
"Arf!" the steed agreed.
"C'mon, we've gotta keep going."
"Arf?"
"I know this whole journey has been scary and more than a little exhausting, but I promise it'll all be worth it once we find the-"
"Hello?" a voice called from the other end of the cave. "Is someone there?"
The knight and steed moved forward, the former shining the torch so he could see whatever was in front of them. To his joy, the light revealed a solid gold cage where a girl wearing a pink gown was being held captive. She had long, red hair and beautiful, blue eyes, fitting the exact description of the one the knight had been looking for.
"Princess!"
"Oh! Are you a knight come to rescue me?" the princess asked. "Thank goodness! I thought I would be here forever!"
"Fear not, dear lady," the knight assured her. "Your nightmare is over. For I shall free you from this terrible prison, so that we may return to our kingdom and live happily ever after."
"That sounds wonderful," the princess smiled but then quickly frowned. "But I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The one who captured me isn't exactly like us. It's a huge, ferocious, and hideous beast that eats princesses like me for breakfast!"
"You don't mean…?"
"Yes…it's…a dragon!"
"Arf?" the steed tilted its head.
The knight laughed. "Come now! I've faced many dangerous creatures in my line of work: griffons, ogres, rocs, even the mythical bunyip! A measly dragon will be a walk in the park for me."
"Yes, but you've never seen a dragon like this one before…" the princess explained.
"Oh? How so?"
Suddenly, the cave started to rumble and the couple heard the sound of rather large footsteps approaching them.
"Because…this dragon…has…"
A shadow overcame the knight and when he turned around, he gasped at what was looming over him: a very tall, purple-scaled reptile with…
"Two heads?!"
Indeed, the dragon appeared to have one head with a rather long neck and another that was stubby with no neck at all. Both heads, however, looked very aggressive.
"Well, well, what have we here?" the tall head asked.
"Looks like some twerpy knight come to steal our prize!" the short one answered.
"Be careful, sir!" the princess warned the knight. "They may look ridiculous, but they're not to be tangled with!"
The knight stood firm. "Foul monster, this lovely maiden is not your treasure! I am here to set her free so she can return to our land where she belongs! I will give you the opportunity to surrender willingly so that I may leave without harming you."
The dragon scoffed.
"Surrender? Absolutely not!"
"We captured that princess fair and square and we ain't givin' her up without a fight!"
The princess looked concerned for the knight. "Sir, please…"
But he ignored her. "If that's what you want…" he drew his sword once more. "En garde!"
"Take this, shorty!"
The two heads took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire toward the knight. He jumped out of the way, doing a backflip in the process, and landed behind the dragon's tail. He swiped his sword at it, cutting off a few scales.
"Ow! You little pest!"
"Now you're really gonna get it!"
The dragon swung its tail and knocked the knight into the cave wall, prompting the princess to gasp worriedly. The dragon then cornered the young hero just as he was about to get up. Believing that the beast was about to fire at him again and he didn't have time to dodge the blast this time, he quickly retrieved his shield to defend himself.
"Oh please. That pathetic hunk of metal won't save you." the tall head taunted.
"Yeah! Especially since fire melts that stuff like butter!"
The shorter head blew fire and the knight's shield turned into a puddle of useless liquid.
"Now we've got you!" the tall head laughed triumphantly.
Just when the knight thought he was done for, his loyal steed came up from behind the dragon and bit its tail.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Hey! Get off, ya little hairball!"
"Grr…"
While the dragon was distracted, the knight charged at it with his sword…and drew it into the dragon's belly. The princess covered her eyes at the gruesome sight.
"Gah! You wretched pipsqueak! We've been defeated…oh, what a world, what a world! Who would have thought a good little human like you could destroy our beautiful scaliness?"
"What are you talkin' about?" the short head sneered. "That was nothin'! Didn't even leave a scratch! It-"
The tall head gave its conjoined partner a glare.
"Uh…I mean…ow! You got us! We're done for! Tell our story or whatever…"
And then, the two-headed lizard fell to the floor with all four of its eyes closed. Satisfied, the knight ran to the princesses's cage and lifted it up.
"You did it!" the princess embraced him. "I didn't think anyone was brave enough to slay that big brute!"
"Well, m'lady," the knight grinned. "When you love something or someone enough, you find the courage."
"Arf! Arf!" the steed leaned against their legs, elated that the two were united at last.
"And the knight, princess, and loyal steed lived happily ever after."
"Wow," CJ said, removing his bike helmet. "You were right. That was a ton of fun!"
"I told you!" Madeline replied while adjusting her princess hat. "Imagination can go a long, long way."
"Arf! Arf!" Cookie gnawed on his saddle.
CJ put down the stick and rock he was holding. "Of course, it's even better when we've got a real, live dragon that we don't have to imagine."
"You know it!" Madeline agreed, turning to Devon and Cornwall, who were still lying on the ground pretending to be dead. "Um…guys? You can get up now."
"Oh!" Devon lifted his head. "Yes, of course." he and Cornwall got on their feet. "So, how did we do, Madeline? Any notes you'd like to give us? Perhaps some pointers? How were our inflections? Too much? Too little?"
Cornwall rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break. Ya don't need to ask for feedback every time we play pretend. It's just a game."
Devon became offended. "Just a game? Just a game?! This is acting! This is drama! It's a very serious art form! Everything within it must be treated with the utmost importance!"
Cornwall gave the kids a look, as if to say: "Here he goes."
"To the untrained eye, it may seem like the world of theatre is just playing pretend, but it's much more than that. It's about feeling! It's about tension! It's about tapping into every aspect of your character to the point you know the precise terminology needed for your scripted dialogue and even the rare moments that require improvisation! Indeed, it's a very lengthy and delicate process and I refuse to treat it as anything else."
"Oh brother…" Cornwall groaned.
"So, once again, how would you describe our performance, Madeline dear?"
Madeline giggled. "Um….I think you guys did great, Devon. And I'm glad you're so passionate about all this acting stuff. But I think the most important part is just remembering to have fun."
CJ nodded. "Me too."
"Oh. I see." Devon shrugged, not really acknowledging their opinion. "Well, you are rather young, so I don't expect you to truly grasp all of the nuances. You'll understand when you're older, I'm sure. Anyway, it's just such a shame that our current performance won't ever get to have a proper audience."
"Yeah," Madeline lamented. "It'd be really cool if we could perform somewhere, like our school. But somehow I don't think the teachers would believe two eight-year-olds managed to create a life-size, fake dragon that spits real fire breath."
"Alas, there are downsides to keeping your existence secret." Devon complained.
"That reminds me," CJ spoke up. "What is the harm in just telling other people about you? I mean, it's not like you're gonna hurt anybody."
"No, but that doesn't mean they won't hurt us." Cornwall pointed out. "Besides, if others did learn we exist, they'd eventually find out where we live."
"Which means they'd find and crawl through the passage to the dragon lands much like you and Madeline did." Devon finished. "And, well…we all know what a horrific disaster that led to. Trust me, my boy, it really is best the rest of your kind doesn't know anything. It's more for their safety rather than ours."
"Yeah," Cornwall concurred. "We're lucky no one else has stumbled into that tunnel by accident. If only there were a way to keep all humans except you two out."
"I'm sure we'll think of something." Madeline assured them. "Anyways, look on the bright side. You guys may not have a huge crowd of adoring fans, but in all honesty, you don't need it. You'll always be a star to me."
"And that's all that matters to us, princess."
Cornwall poked Madeline's nose affectionately. "Right, Devon?" he glared at his other half, who didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Hm? Oh. Yes, I suppose. Mm-hmm." he replied nonchalantly.
"Madeline! CJ!" a voice called from the other end of the cave.
"That's my mom!" Madeline realized. "We'd better go. C'mon, Cookie!"
"Arf! Arf!" Cookie followed Madeline and CJ outside.
"See you guys tomorrow!" Madeline waved as she was leaving.
Once Madeline and CJ exited the cave, they met up with Madeline's mom and Marcus.
"There you two are." Mrs. Porter said. "I've been looking all over!"
"Sorry, Mom." Madeline apologized. "We were playing in the cave."
Mrs. Porter looked surprised. "The cave? I thought you were afraid of going in there."
"Yeah, turns out it's actually not as scary as we thought." CJ informed her.
"Sure," Marcus scoffed. "Nothing seems scary when you've got a big two-headed dragon protecting ya all the time."
Mrs. Porter chuckled. "Oh yes. I forgot about your all's pretend dragon friend."
"Mom…" Marcus grumped. "It's not pretend."
Mrs. Porter only patted him on the head. "Of course it isn't, dear. So long as you believe that way."
"Ugh!"
With the family finally regrouped, they packed into the Porters' van and drove away from the beach.
That night, as Madeline slept, she had a dream where she actually was a princess and was locked up in a huge tower. She had been kidnapped earlier by a traitor to her own kingdom and was currently being guarded by his most loyal and trusted pet, a furry bird-like creature that Madeline forgot the name of. She wasn't sure why this guy wanted her specifically, but she did hear something about a sword (which also had a name, but she couldn't remember that either) during the events of her capture, so her best guess was she was acting as a sort of bargaining chip.
Madeline glanced out the window where the evil knight's pet was pacing around the tower sinisterly, making sure not a single living being crossed into its territory. Not even birds were safe from its wrath when they tried nesting on the tower's roof. Madeline sat back with a worried expression. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting out of there anytime soon.
Then suddenly, to the young girl's surprise, she heard the knight's pet cawing and screaming. At first, she thought it was because she had gotten too close to the window, but upon a closer observation, she realized the beast was actually facing off against a mysterious individual in a green cloak. Before the bird-like monster could attack, the cloaked figure pulled out a staff and sent out a magical beam toward it, freezing it in its place. Madeline gasped quietly. She'd never seen anything like it.
The figure then made their way toward the tower and entered through the now unguarded door. Madeline held her breath as she could hear his approaching footsteps. She thought about hiding, but there wasn't really anything in the tower she could hide behind.
Eventually, the door to her room opened, and the cloaked figure stepped in. Madeline backed into a corner fearfully, unsure of this person's true intentions. However, after coming closer and into the light, the stranger was revealed to be a friendly-looking elderly man with a long white beard covering the majority of his face. Despite this, Madeline could still see the warm smile he was giving her.
"Madeline." he said. "Madeline?"
"Madeline!"
Madeline awoke in her bedroom upon hearing someone call out her name. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked out the window beside her bed and noticed Devon and Cornwall outside, the former tapping the glass. Madeline opened the window.
"Oh, hey guys." she yawned. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Yeah, what are we doing here so early, Devon?" Cornwall asked grumpily, clearly having been forced out of bed.
"Oh, we're terribly sorry for disturbing you, Madeline." Devon began.
"'We'?!" Cornwall shouted.
"But we simply couldn't wait a minute longer to tell you the good news!"
"News? What news?"
Devon reached into his and Cornwall's belly pouch and revealed a piece of paper with big, fancy writing on it.
"See for yourself!"
Madeline read the flier aloud. "'Tonight only! All are welcome to join the Theater of Friendship competition in Camelot Square! Best performers will be given the honor of becoming King Arthur's own personal theatre troupe for a whole year!' King Arthur? Isn't that the guy who pulled that sword out of that rock?"
"He is indeed!" Devon declared.
"But…I thought he was just part of a story?"
"Well, you thought dragons were just part of a story too, you know."
"Oh yeah. So, how'd you guys get this?"
Cornwall shrugged. "Dunno. It just showed up in our cave this morning. Maybe the wind blew it there."
"Oh, does it really matter?" Devon hugged the flier to his and Cornwall's chest. "This is the opportunity I've been waiting for for centuries! You, CJ, Corny, and I are finally going to have a chance to show off our thespian talents! And even better, we get to do it in Camelot! I've always dreamed of going there! The restaurants, the theaters…"
"The waitresses, the actresses…" Cornwall imagined.
"The dragons…" Devon added.
Madeline laughed. "The very silly dragons."
"So, what do you think, Madeline? Will you enter the contest with us? Why, with your creativity and our charm and wit, mostly mine, we're sure to win!"
Madeline reread the flyer. "Well, it does sound like a lot of fun. And I imagine in Camelot you wouldn't have to hide from everyone like you do here. Okay! If it means that much to you guys, I'll do it!"
"Wonderful!" Devon cried. "You and CJ can meet us in the cave later this afternoon and we'll go there together. Oh, aren't you just thrilled, Corny? We're about to be famous!"
"I'd be more thrilled if I had gotten my full 12 hours of sleep." Cornwall grumbled, but Devon acted like he hadn't heard.
"I can see our names on the poster now: 'Presenting…the wonderful Devon! And his little head, Cornwall…'"
Unbeknownst to them, Marcus was below them, having come outside to let Cookie out.
Cornwall glared. "Why don't you shut up? How 'bout: 'Cornwall and His Obnoxious Talking Wart'?"
"I beg your pardon?!"
"You heard me, pus-for-brains!"
"Well, I never!"
"Guys!" Madeline warned. "Stop! You know what happens when you start fighting in midair!"
Before they realized it, Devon and Cornwall's wings gave out and they plummeted to the ground, landing right in front of Marcus. The boy gave them the cheekiest of grins.
"Aha! Gotcha! You are so busted!" he ran back into the house. "Mom! Mom! Come quick! The two-headed dragon is here! MOM!"
"Oh dear." Devon stood up with Cornwall.
"Nice goin', Mr. Quarrel Pants."
"Me? You're the one who started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"Guys!" Madeline called from above. "My mom is coming!"
"Oh! Right! We'll see you shortly then! Don't forget to invite CJ! Bye now!"
Devon and Cornwall, mutually deciding they didn't want Mrs. Porter to discover them, started to flap their wings, rose above the ground once more, and took off. Madeline shut her window just as Marcus and her mom came outside, the latter still wearing pajamas and a sleeping mask.
"It's right there! See? See?"
Marcus's face fell when he saw the empty backyard.
"Huh? But-but-where'd it-?"
Mrs. Porter was unimpressed.
"Honestly, Marcus, it's far too early for these games of yours. I'm going back to bed." she turned around and went back inside, prompting Marcus to pursue her.
"No! Wait! Give it a few minutes! I'm sure it'll come back! Mom, c'mon! You gotta believe me here!"
That afternoon, after Madeline convinced her mom to take her and CJ back to the beach, Devon and Cornwall met up with the children to take them to Camelot. Of course, to get there, they had to travel quite a good distance, but now that they had finally gotten used to flying, it wouldn't take them nearly as long as it would have on foot. Not to mention, they could avoid the dangerous parts of Dragon Country as well as the Forbidden Forest. Madeline and CJ each held onto one of the dragon's heads to keep from falling.
"Wow, I can't believe we're actually going to Camelot!" CJ exclaimed. "I've had my mom read me the story of King Arthur before bed since I was five! And now we're actually gonna get to meet him in person! This is so cool!"
Madeline smiled. "I just hope he'll like the play we put on for him."
"You kiddin'? With you as the star, you'll knock 'im dead, sweetheart." Cornwall claimed.
"Absolutely!" Devon agreed. "Oh, that reminds me, Madeline. As I'm sure you're aware, every theatrical work requires someone to give direction. A director, if you will."
"Oh boy." Cornwall could already tell where this was going.
"So, I was wondering, given that I'm practically an expert in this field and all that, that maybe…perhaps…I could possibly…"
"You want to be the director?" Madeline clarified.
"Well…yes! I'd say I have what it takes, don't you? After all, I'm intelligent, well-mannered, very talented…"
"Not to mention, modest…" Cornwall muttered sarcastically.
"Hee, hee, hee!" Madeline giggled, as well as CJ. "Well, since this was your idea, I guess it's only fair for you to be put in charge."
"It's fine by me." CJ concurred.
"Okay, Devon. You can be the director."
"Oh goodie!" Devon whooped. "Thank you, Madeline! I promise I won't let you down! You won't regret this!"
Cornwall snorted. "Why do I doubt that?"
"Hey!" CJ pointed downward. "Look!"
All of them looked in said direction. Below them, was a sturdy brick wall containing a drawbridge. Said drawbridge led to a village filled with horses, carts, and people roaming the streets. Madeline beamed. It was the first time she had seen humans in this other world.
Towering above the village was a castle, fit for a king.
"That must be where King Arthur lives!" CJ concluded. "We're here!"
Madeline was absolutely mesmerized. Camelot was even more beautiful than she imagined. But just as she was just starting to enjoy the view, she made out a few silhouettes guarding the entrance to the kingdom. She couldn't tell, but she thought a few of them were pointing their way. Devon and Cornwall also noticed this.
"Oh, would you look at that?" Devon noted. "The citizens are delighted by our presence! We haven't even gone in and already they're worshipping us!"
Suddenly, an arrow came whizzing past the dragon, almost hitting their right wing.
Cornwall squinted, allowing him to get a better look at those below him. That's when he saw the bows and arrows some of the people were holding and all of them were aiming upward.
"Or they're tryin' to shoot us down!"
"Look out!" CJ screamed.
Before the others could react, a whole barrage of arrows flew straight at them, many of which hit Devon and Cornwall in the stomach, tail, and other body parts.
"Ow!" Devon yelped. "Well, that's certainly no way to welcome guests!"
"Eek!" Madeline ducked her head as an arrow barely missed her.
"Hang on, kiddos!" Cornwall told her and CJ. "We're about to have a little unexpected turbulence!"
Madeline and CJ closed their eyes and held on to the dragon tightly as the latter tried to avoid the incoming attacks. Devon and Cornwall did their best to persevere, but after taking one too many hits to the underbelly, they couldn't stay airborne any longer. They ended up crashing headfirst into the drawbridge and the children fell off their back and in front of two of the guards who had fired at them.
The both of them drew their swords and pointed them at Devon and Cornwall.
"Halt, you vicious creature!" one warned.
Devon and Cornwall sat up, now completely surrounded by the guards, each one pointing a spear directly in their faces.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Madeline demanded.
"Back away, little ones." the first guard held out his hand. "That monster can't harm you anymore. Take it away!" he ordered the others.
Devon and Cornwall were powerless to do anything as their arms and tail were chained up and they had muzzles put over their snouts.
"I say! How rude!"
"Get your paws off us, ya creeps!"
The guards then forced the dragon to stand and led them through the gate, their spears still pointed at them. Madeline and CJ tried to follow, but the first guard blocked their way.
"Stop! Where are you taking them?"
"The palace, of course." the guard explained. "To be executed before the king himself."
He then went to catch up with his fellow men, leaving Madeline and CJ with horrified expressions.
"Do you think this is how it would have gone in our world?" CJ asked Madeline.
"Yeah, but it probably would have been worse, what with our advanced technology. C'mon!"
The kids ran across the drawbridge and headed straight for the castle. Hopefully, they would make it there before it was too late.
After they made their way past several horses pulling carts into the road and confused citizens asking about their strange, modern clothing, Madeline and CJ came upon the castle's front door and sneaked inside. The inside of the palace was just as majestic as the two had expected, but they didn't have time to admire the decor; they had an execution to interrupt.
Luckily, it seemed they arrived just in time to watch the guards drag Devon and Cornwall by their chains through a pair of large, wooden doors. Once inside, they pushed the reptile onto a round table placed in the center of the room and held down both heads. Devon and Cornwall tried to protest but found it difficult with the muzzles on.
"Wait!" Madeline cried, running into the room with CJ.
"You two again? I advise you to stand back!" a guard instructed, drawing his sword. "This could get messy."
Devon and Cornwall wailed at how sharp the weapon appeared.
"No! Don't hurt them!" Madeline pleaded.
"This savage fiend must pay for its crime. Our kingdom does not tolerate the abduction of children, and especially not when it's done by a member of such an evil and cruel species!"
"No! You've got it all wrong! Devon and Cornwall aren't cruel, they're good dragons!" Madeline argued.
"Yeah! And they're our friends!" CJ added.
The guard didn't seem convinced. "Please. Our city has had the misfortune of being invaded by thousands of dragons and each one was just as ruthless and destructive as the last. Trust me when I say it's impossible for any one of their kind to be good."
He summoned two other men with a finger gesture.
"Escort these young ones out of the castle. The events that are about to proceed may prove traumatic for them."
The other guards nodded, grabbed Madeline and CJ by their arms, and began to lead them to the exit, just as the first guard raised his sword over Devon and Cornwall.
"No! Stop! Please, don't!" Madeline screamed. "You're making a mistake! NO!"
"What is the meaning of this?"
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to the door where two more men were standing. One was clothed in a dark green cloak and sported a long, white beard, signifying his old age. He carried a wooden staff in his right hand. The shorter one next to him appeared to be much younger as indicated by his youthful face and blonde hair. In his hand, he carried the shiniest sword anyone had ever laid eyes upon. The first guard lowered his own sword.
"King Arthur!" he bowed his head slightly. "Forgive me, I was just about to inform you."
CJ was in awe. "Whoa…the real King Arthur…"
"Inform me of what, Sir Bedivere?" the king continued.
"This horrid dragon was found guilty trespassing in our village as well as kidnapping these two children."
"No! That's not true!" Madeline spoke up. "They didn't kidnap us! They're our friends and they were just giving us a ride here!"
"Sir, this girl is clearly delusional." Sir Bedivere interrupted. "You and I both know that a dragon cannot be friends with a human."
"Well, this one is!" Madeline insisted.
"Ridiculous. Let us continue with the execution."
"No! Let them go! They don't want to hurt anyone!"
"Enough!" King Arthur commanded, turning to his cloaked, elderly companion. "Merlin?"
The older man, known as Merlin, nodded and slowly approached Madeline and CJ. While CJ stepped back, Madeline gasped as Merlin put his hand over her forehead and closed his eyes. After a moment, he removed his hand and turned back to Arthur.
"The child is telling the truth."
Madeline was dumbfounded. How could he have known that just by touching her? But more importantly, why did she get the feeling that she'd seen him before?
Arthur stepped closer. "Where did you come from, little one? I have not seen you around Camelot. Not to mention, your outfit seems rather…futuristic."
Madeline bit her lip nervously. "Um…my name is Madeline and this is my friend CJ. We're from Florida."
"Florida, you say? An odd name for a kingdom, I must admit. I've never heard of it."
"Well, that's because it's not exactly a part of this world." CJ explained. "We're from a different realm, Mr. King, sir."
Arthur smiled patiently. "Please, child. Call me 'Arthur.' Around here, no matter what your title is, we are all equals."
"So, um…if you're really the King Arthur," CJ gestured to the table Devon and Cornwall were lying on. "Is that really the Round Table?"
"It is indeed."
"And that sword you're holding…is that the real Excalibur?"
Arthur held out the sword so CJ could get a better look.
"Of course. But how do you know all of this, if you don't mind my asking? You said you're not from around here."
"No, but where we're from, people tell your stories all the time! You're practically a legendary hero over there!"
"Hm. I wasn't aware one's legacy could exist outside of the world they live in. But speaking of which, how did you get to this world? No one can travel between realms without magic and you two don't seem capable of such a feat, otherwise you wouldn't need a dragon to bring you here."
"Unless…" Merlin spoke up. "They came through a portal."
"Uh…a portal?" CJ repeated.
"Yes. Ten years ago, one of Arthur's trusted Knights of the Round Table betrayed him and the kingdom because of the greed in his heart. After he failed to assassinate the king, he swore one day he would take Camelot for himself. Soon after, he created an army that greatly outnumbered our own and used it to seize the castle and everyone in it. So, out of desperation, I cast a spell to open portals to alternate universes in order to recruit more allies for the battle. Sure enough, it worked and portals spawned across Camelot and beyond. And with the help of the denizens from other dimensions, we were victorious. However, I soon realized how dangerous keeping these portals open would be since dangerous creatures from other universes could use them to come to our world or those that live here could stumble into one. So, I reversed the spell to close them all. From what I'm hearing, though, one of them somehow stayed open."
"And where is it, exactly?" Arthur asked.
Before Madeline could answer, Merlin put his hand back on her forehead.
"It appears to be at the very edge of Dragon Country."
"Yeah!" Madeline nodded. "When Devon and Cornwall went through, they ended up in a cave in our world. And there's a passage in that cave that lets us come here."
"And no other dragons have attempted to use this passage?"
"Oh no." Madeline reassured the wizard. "They're too big to fit."
"What about those in your world?" Arthur interrogated. "Have there been any others besides yourselves to enter this realm?"
"Not so far." CJ answered. "Nobody else knows about it."
"Which means they could potentially learn of its existence." Merlin deduced. "Which could, in turn, lead to catastrophe."
"Then there's no time to waste." Arthur turned to leave. "We must find this portal and close it for good."
"What? No!" Madeline refused. "That's the only way Devon and Cornwall can get to our world! If you close it forever, we'll never see them again!"
"And if we don't, the people of your realm will perish under the other dragons. I'm sorry, but the lives of the innocent are much more imperative than maintaining a simple interspecies friendship."
"But…but nobody else knows about the portal! We promise to keep it a secret!"
"That is a risk I'm not willing to take. My knights and I shall escort you and your friend back to Dragon Country so that you may safely return home. After which, you will remain there permanently, along with all others belonging to your universe."
Devon and Cornwall shouted through their muzzles, trying to persuade Arthur to rethink things. Meanwhile, Madeline started to cry and CJ became devastated. But no matter what, it seemed that the king's mind was set. However, just as he was about to summon his knights to bring the children home, Merlin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Arthur, wait."
Arthur looked his mentor in the eye.
"Perhaps there is a better option."
Madeline wiped her tears as Merlin came to her once more.
"Child, as I understand, you and the others came here for the Theater of Friendship competition. Am I correct?"
Madeline sniffed. "Uh-huh…"
"Then you should know that said competition is meant to reward the performance put on by the best group of friends. So, here is what I'm willing to offer. If you and your friends can win this contest, thus proving your friendship worthy of preserving, then we will allow the portal between our worlds to remain open."
Everyone else in the room gasped.
"What?" Madeline perked up. "R-R-Really? You mean it? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
She hugged the magician's knees happily, tears running down his cloak. Merlin was a bit surprised at first, but then grinned shortly after.
"Merlin?" Arthur said. "Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"Friendship is a very powerful thing, my boy." he replied. "If there was none, Camelot would not be what it is today."
Arthur smiled somewhat, realizing that his advisor was right. Though he was still a bit hesitant about the wager, he trusted Merlin enough to give it a chance.
"Ahem." Sir Bedivere butted in. "While I am glad that everything has been sorted, I feel I must remind you, Arthur, that the children's friend is a dragon! We can't allow it to roam Camelot, let alone let it participate in a silly contest!"
Arthur gave Bedivere a stern look. "As we've already learned, Bedivere, this particular dragon means no harm. And, as the flyer for the contest says: 'All are welcome to join.' That means humans, elves, ogres, and dragons. Now, release them at once."
Sir Bedivere sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win the argument, and he reluctantly removed Devon and Cornwall's chains and muzzles. The dragon stood up off the table.
"About time!"
"Well, at least some people around here have common courtesy!"
"I shall leave you all to prepare for the competition." Arthur went on. "There is a small stage set up outside you may use to rehearse. I eagerly await to watch your performance. Goodbye and good luck."
With that, Arthur, Merlin, and all the other knights took their leave.
"Well, looks like we've got a lot of rehearsing to do if we're going to win tonight. A lot is at stake here." Madeline noted. "But we shouldn't have too much of an issue. We're great at this! And we'll be even better with our new director helping us out!"
Devon blushed. "Oh, stop! You're too much, honestly! I don't deserve it! Well, maybe a little. Tell me again how great you think I am? I'm flattered, really."
Cornwall shook his head. "And here's our sign of what's to come."
Once the gang got settled into their rehearsal space, they were more eager than ever to get started. Madeline found a box of costumes backstage and picked some out that she thought would be perfect for the performance.
"Wow! This stage has everything! A curtain, costumes, props…" she handed CJ a poncho from the costume box. "Usually we have to settle for a dark, musty cave and hand-me-down clothes, but now we've got the real deal!"
"Yeah!" CJ cried out, putting on a hat with a bright red feather sticking out of it. "And for the first time, we'll have real people watching us! I mean, Cookie's a great audience, but it doesn't take much to excite him."
"Oh yes, it's wonderful, isn't it?" Devon chirped. "My dreams of working in the arts are finally coming true! Somebody pinch me!"
"Believe me, I want to." Cornwall moped. "Just remember, we gotta win this thing if we wanna keep this theater troupe together."
"Oh, don't worry about that." Devon shrugged. "With me as the star and the director, victory will soon be in our grasp! Which reminds me, Madeline. Since I am the director and all, I've come up with some new ideas that I think might improve our little production."
"Here we go…" Cornwall muttered.
"What kind of ideas?" Madeline pressed.
"Well…it's just that…there are already thousands of variations of stories about brave, heroic knights rescuing damsels from ferocious dragons. I'm sure even some people of Camelot have heard plenty of them. The plot is rather cliche, in other words."
"Oh."
"And that brings me to my next point; why is it that the dragon has to be the bad guy here? It seems like every fairy tale in history has a dragon whose only goals are wealth and destruction. The way I see it, it only worsens our kind's reputation, which was already dreadful enough."
"Uh-huh…"
"Furthermore, just like not every dragon is evil, not every knight has heroic intentions. One did betray Arthur and his kingdom, after all."
"That's true…"
"So, what if instead we have the knight kidnap the princess and the dragon has to rescue her instead? That would be a nice change of pace, don't you think?"
Madeline and CJ exchanged looks.
"Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to try to be a little different." CJ decided. "It is true that good dragons aren't in a lot of stories and that's probably why most assume all of them are bad."
"Yeah. but if all dragons were bad, we wouldn't be friends with one, would we?" Madeline joked.
"Precisely what I was thinking." Devon responded. "Oh, and of course we need to decide on both of your ensembles."
"We already have that figured out." Madeline showed the dragon a pink dress and crown. "This is my costume and CJ's wearing his right now."
Devon looked over both the outfits. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! This won't do at all. The gown is much too glittery and garish. Why on earth would you choose to wear such a thing?"
"It's pink. I like pink. It's my favorite color." Madeline insisted.
Devon shook his head and rummaged through the costume box. "No, no, no. It will only create a distraction for the audience. Here. Wear this instead."
Devon handed Madeline a plain-looking brown skirt with sewn-up patches all over it.
"But…I'm supposed to be a princess, not a peasant."
"Nonsense. I've read plenty of books featuring princesses and the illustrations depict them in that sort of attire all the time. Plus, this way your royal status won't appear so blatantly obvious now."
"I…guess so…" Madeline agreed reluctantly.
Cornwall only glared at how controlling his other half was being. But Devon wasn't finished yet.
"Now, as for you CJ, you're meant to be a cruel, black-hearted knight, but at the moment you look more like one of those Three Musketeers."
"Yeah, that's the look I was going for." CJ explained.
"Well, as the director, I suggest we find something more…appropriate for your character."
"Um…like what?"
The next thing the boy knew, Devon had forced him into a black suit of armor.
"There! Much better!"
CJ attempted to move his arms and legs but the heavy metal prevented him. Devon didn't seem to notice or care, however.
"Hm…I still feel it's missing something."
"Yeah, like maybe his ability to walk?" Cornwall suggested, annoyed.
"No, that's not it. Oh! Of course, what was I thinking?"
Devon plopped a knight's helmet onto CJ's head that completely covered his face.
CJ turned his head. "Hey! Where'd everybody go? Why did it get dark all of a sudden?"
"Perfect!" Devon noted.
"What do ya mean 'perfect'?" Cornwall questioned. "He can't even see out of that thing!"
"That's because his face needs to be obscured in order to hide his identity. It makes for a better story if the audience has to imagine what he looks like."
CJ tried moving once again. "Hey, can somebody give me a hand here? I don't know where I'm-whoa!" he tripped onto the stage, knocking his helmet off in the process. It rolled over to Devon and Cornwall's feet.
Devon picked it up. "Hm…perhaps we need a smaller size…"
Cornwall only facepalmed.
Madeline, having changed into her new, ugly dress, came over and helped CJ up.
"Devon, are you sure all these changes are necessary?"
Devon chuckled. "'Are they necessary?' Madeline, please, I'm a professional when it comes to the performing arts. I practically wrote the book. Which reminds me, I took the liberty of writing a script."
The tall dragon pulled a huge stack of papers out of his pocket and shoved it into Madeline's arms.
"Script? But we've never needed a script before."
"Yes. Because we've never professionally performed before. Now that we're taking our first official step into the world of acting, it's an absolute must our production contains all of the necessary assets. And a well-written script is one of them."
Madeline glanced at the first page.
"But this script looks like it's a thousand pages long!"
"Don't be silly. It's only 994 pages long."
"But why?"
"Well, quite simply, a standard play should have a duration of no less than two hours, not including intermissions."
"Intermissions?" Cornwall chimed in. "What do we need intermissions for? The story is so straightforward! 'A princess gets kidnapped and needs to be rescued. She gets rescued and everyone lives happily ever after.' That's it! The whole thing can be told without any breaks!"
Devon shook his head. "Oh, poor, naive Corny. So ignorant of the concepts of theater. You would think a lifetime of being physically attached to a connoisseur of the stage would have some effect on your uncultured mind, but alas, your head is just as empty as it was 500 years prior."
"The only one whose head is gonna be empty is yours if you don't cut out that arrogant attitude, pal! Ever since you became director, you've been more obnoxious than usual, bossing everybody back and forth like we're nothing more than your personal playthings! Maddie, back me up here!"
"Um…" Madeline became uneasy.
"Oh, please." Devon scoffed. "You expect Madeline to take your side? May I remind you that she was the one who appointed me to this position? Clearly that means she trusts my judgment. Isn't that right, Madeline?"
"Well…um…yeah. I made you the director because you know a lot about acting. And even though I don't agree with some of the choices you've made, if they're what it's going to take to win the contest, we have to at least give them a try."
"Exactly!" Devon bragged to Cornwall. "See?"
"Hmph…" Cornwall grumbled.
"Corny? Please. We have to win this." Madeline begged. "Just do what Devon says, okay?"
Cornwall looked into Madeline's innocent blue eyes and sighed.
"All right, pumpkin. But I'm doing this for you, not for him!" Cornwall poked Devon's snout forcefully.
Madeline smiled. "Thank you."
"Right then," Devon announced. "As the director, I believe a run-through is in order. Places, everyone!"
Madeline walked over to her spot on the stage while CJ stumbled looking for his. Devon and Cornwall stood backstage for now.
"Ready…and…action!"
Madeline began reading her script.
"'Fie! What t'rrible ado I've hath found myself in. The evil black knight hast did imprison me. The fiend is going to taketh ov'r the kingdom. And if't be true that gent is vic…vic…vict'rious, I shall beest depress'd. How I wisheth th're wast someone truly brave and h…h…h'roic to rescueth me'?"
"Cut!" Devon interrupted. "Madeline, where's your energy? You're supposed to be frightened! Fearful for your life! You simply must get in touch with your emotions, otherwise all you're doing is reading from a piece of paper!"
"I'm sorry." Madeline squinted at her script. "I'm just not used to the way this is written. Why does every other word have to end in 'eth'?"
"That's how the great Shakespeare wrote everything, dear. If we're going to be as successful as him, we have to do everything the way he would have."
Cornwall read over his own lines. "How great could the guy have been if he couldn't even write stuff that makes a modicum of sense? I mean, is this even English?"
Devon ignored him. "Let's just move on to the next scene, shall we? CJ? That's your cue!"
CJ held out his hands, still in his heavy, obstructing armor and stepped forward, tripping once again.
"Uh…think I could take off the helmet for now?" he requested.
"Take it off?" Devon laughed, as if CJ just told a joke. "How ridiculous! It's a part of your costume. If you don't have it on, it will ruin the illusion."
"But I can't even see the script I'm holding, let alone read it."
"Not to worry. You'll have to commit the whole thing to memory anyway, so it will be good practice."
"Wait, we have to memorize all of this by tonight?!" Madeline said exasperated.
"Naturally. You wouldn't expect real knights and princesses to read from a piece of paper during their exploits, would you?"
Madeline swallowed pensively. "Devon, I don't mean to question your methods or anything, but don't you think you're taking this a little far?"
"Taking it-?" Devon was offended. "Excuse me, young lady, but you're not the director of this play, now are you?"
"Um…no, but-"
"Precisely! And since you clearly are not on the same level of expertise as I am, I suggest you stop arguing and do as I say! Understand?"
Madeline was shocked at Devon's tone. She had heard him raise his voice a few times before, but never at her directly. She began to feel a little scared. CJ and Cornwall were also taken aback by Devon's sudden shouting.
"Ahem." Devon cleared his throat, calming down somewhat. "Now then, let's try this again. From the top!"
Devon and Cornwall stepped off the stage, the latter glaring at the former. Madeline and CJ sighed, clearly having regrets at doing a play in the first place. At the same time, though, if they didn't go through with it, they wouldn't be allowed to see their dragon friend ever again. So, as much as they didn't like it, the two children continued to rehearse and perform the way Devon wanted them to. Unfortunately, things didn't get better even after they adhered to his whims. Every time one of them would make a mistake, even if it was just forgetting a single word in the script, Devon would interrupt the scene and force everyone to start over from the beginning. By nightfall, the time of the performance, the whole gang, except Devon, was completely exhausted.
The two-headed dragon stood behind the stage curtain, watching the other performances and the audience's reactions to them. Or at least Devon did; Cornwall couldn't care less.
"Oh, come now. This is our competition?" Devon shrugged as one of the actors slipped and fell. "We've definitely got this in the bag now, don't you think?"
"Whatever."
"Why aren't you more excited? We're about to live our dream!"
"'Our dream'? This is your dream!" Cornwall corrected. "For the rest of us, this has been nothing more than a nightmare."
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. Save that for when we go on." Devon peered into the crowd and spotted Arthur sitting beside Merlin. "Look! There's King Arthur! I suppose he's in charge of picking the winners. Honestly, though, after he sees our glorious production, he won't have to think about it a second more. Too bad we couldn't have gone before the others; it would have saved him so much time. But I can understand wanting to save the best for last."
"'Best for last,' sure. If by that you mean 'best for receiving last place,' I can believe it." Cornwall moped.
"Why are you being so negative? All you've done since we came here is complain. I thought you'd be at least a little happy."
"Happy? Why would I be happy? You're the one who likes this frou-frou stuff, not me!"
"But you liked it when we did it with Madeline." Devon pointed out.
"Yeah, 'cause we were just playin' around then, havin' fun! Now that we've gotta play by your rules and come up to your standards, nobody's havin' fun anymore!"
"Complete rubbish. The children haven't said a word about it, so obviously, they're enjoying themselves."
"Are you kiddin'? I'd say they're more miserable than I am! They're only keepin' quiet 'cause they don't wanna hurt your feelings…something I don't have a problem with, which is why I'm tellin' you all this."
Devon still didn't believe it. "Oh really? Well, if you ask me, you're just jealous of my natural abilities and thus, are trying to lower my self-esteem. That's why you lied about the children not liking my style of theatre."
"What?!" Cornwall was dumbfounded.
"But I know for a fact that Madeline and CJ don't just like my style, but absolutely adore it! Not only that, but I'm certain they appreciate and worship me as their director."
Suddenly, the dragon heard two voices coming from backstage. They hid behind a prop box and listened as Madeline and CJ walked past.
"I can't wait for this whole play to be over." Madeline told CJ.
"Me too." CJ replied. "I always thought it'd be cool to be a real actor. But Devon sure made me change my mind."
"What?!" Devon whispered with surprise.
"I know." Madeline continued. "It was a big mistake making him the director. I miss it when it was just us messing around in the cave."
"But…but…why? I don't…" Devon was terribly confused and a bit sad.
"Uh-huh. So do I. But nothing we can do now except put on the show. Even if we don't enjoy it, at least there's a chance it'll be good enough to win."
"Yeah. But if we do, I'd rather not stick around to be Arthur's personal theatre troupe. Not if we have to keep doing plays like this."
When Madeline and CJ were gone, Devon and Cornwall came out of hiding.
"So…still think they're enjoyin' themselves?" Cornwall asked.
"Oh my…Corny…you don't suppose I may have let my position as director make me a little…well…"
"Bossy? Demanding? Ignorant to everyone else's feelings?"
"Yes. All of those things. Here I thought I was just trying to make our play better…but instead, I only focused on what I wanted and never asked my friends what they thought was best. I completely disregarded their happiness in favor of my own."
"You got that right."
Devon frowned. "Goodness…how could I have been so foolish?"
"Foolish? Heh! That's an understatement." Cornwall retorted.
"I feel terrible. Absolutely terrible."
"And you should!"
"All right, all right. No need to rub salt in the wound. Besides, there's still time to fix everything."
"What time are you talkin' about? We're on in like ten minutes! It's too late!"
"It's never too late to do the right thing." Devon insisted.
Madeline and CJ were sitting side-by-side on some boxes, sad looks adorned on both their faces. Devon and Cornwall approached them.
"Ahem…Madeline? CJ?" Devon began.
"Oh, hi Devon." Madeline greeted without looking up. "We know, we should have changed into our costumes by now. We'll do it in a minute."
"Actually, that won't be necessary. I've done some thinking, you see…"
"You mean I've done some thinking for you?" Cornwall corrected.
"And I've come to realize just how unfairly I treated you two."
"'You two'? I think you miscounted there, buster." Cornwall snarked.
"Will you just be quiet and let me do this?" Devon scolded before looking back at the kids. "Anyway, my true intention was only to create the best performance possible, but in doing so, I forgot that this isn't just my play, but our play, and I should have been more open to your suggestions. I realize now that a good director isn't someone who just gives orders, but someone who knows how to take them as well. That's why I'd like to apologize for my abhorrent behavior and ask if you can find it in your hearts to forgive me?"
Madeline and CJ exchanged glances and then smiled. They wrapped their arms around the dragon's belly.
"Of course we forgive you, Devon."
"Yeah. We know you never meant to be mean."
"Oh, good." Devon turned to his other half. "Cornwall? Do you forgive me, too?"
Cornwall looked hesitant. "Well…"
"Come now, Corny. I'm sorry for not listening to you in the first place. I promise I will from now on. Please? Please? Pleeeeaaase?"
"Okay, okay!" Cornwall relented with a small smirk. "If it'll make you stop whinin'."
Devon squeezed the shorter head around his arm.
"Oh thank you, Corny!" he released him. "And now, for my first decree as your new-and-improved director, I say we do the performance exactly how it was before I took over."
"Huh?" Madeline became worried. "But…what if that one's not good enough? What if we don't win?"
Devon lifted Madeline's chin. "Madeline, love, it is good enough. Believe me. And even if it isn't, I'm sure we can come up with another way to keep our friendship intact."
"Yeah, not even a powerful king of a whole country is gonna tear us apart." Cornwall added.
"It's just like you said," Devon recalled. "The most important thing is remembering to have fun."
Madeline nodded. "You're right. But, if it's okay, I'd rather not do everything exactly how it was before."
"Oh? What do you mean, dear?"
The girl just grinned.
A bit later, Madeline and the gang were up on stage putting on the same show for King Arthur and his people that they did for themselves in the cave, but with one minor difference.
"Dragon, I have defeated you!" CJ, as the knight, announced. "Your days of kidnapping princesses are over!"
"No fair!" Cornwall lamented. "It's not like we were gonna hurt her or anything."
"You weren't?"
"Of course not." Devon explained. "Life as a dragon is so lonely. No one bothers to visit us because they're too afraid. We only took the princess so we could finally have a friend."
"And so we would have someone to talk to other than each other." Cornwall mentioned. "Having another head blabbin' in your ear 24/7 ain't easy, ya know?"
Madeline giggled. "You silly dragons. Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Of course we can be friends. In fact, when we get home, I'll even appoint you as official members of the royal guard! That way the whole kingdom will love and respect you and you'll never have to be alone again!"
"Really? Oh, how delightful!"
"Sounds good to me!"
Madeline, CJ, and the dragon stood side-by-side and locked hands.
"And the knight, princess, and the dragon lived happily ever after!" Madeline declared.
King Arthur and the audience applauded as the friends took their bows.
"I say!" Devon exclaimed. "They like us! They really like us!"
"No, they don't." Cornwall disagreed. "…They love us! But I think it's safe to say they love me the best."
"Now let's not get carried away."
King Arthur joined the group onstage.
"Well, I must say that was a truly enjoyable performance. And with that, it is time to announce our winners."
Madeline and CJ scooted closer to Devon and Cornwall, praying this wouldn't be the last time they would be near them. Devon and Cornwall felt the same way, both of them even biting each other's nails in anticipation.
"And this year's victor of the Theater of Friendship competition is…"
The actors and crowd members leaned in.
"…the troupe of Madeline Porter, CJ Ramirez, and their dragon friend!"
The aforementioned kids gasped and hugged one another in delight. Then Devon and Cornwall hugged both of them. Arthur continued.
"These group of unlikely companions have shown us that true friendship doesn't just exist between one species, but any number of them." he smiled at the children. "Thus, the gates of Camelot will always remain open to them."
The audience cheered once more and some of the people started to gather onstage and surround Devon and Cornwall.
"You're so incredible! Amazing!"
"Yes, can I have your autograph?"
"May I as well?"
Devon chuckled. "Yes, yes. Of course. One at a time, please."
"Oh. Not you." a person responded. "We were actually talking to the other head. He's so talented!"
Devon gave Cornwall a perplexed expression. Cornwall smiled smugly.
"What'd I tell ya? Guess I'm not so ignorant of the concept of theatre after all, huh?"
Devon rolled his eyes playfully.
"Devon," Madeline squeezed the dragon's belly. "I can't believe our play won! You did it!"
"No, my dear. We did it. Together."
Arthur approached them. "Congratulations to you all. I look forward to seeing more of your performances as my new theatre troupe."
Devon beamed. "Theatre troupe? Us?"
"That is the prize for winning, yes."
"Oh gosh, I don't know what to say. I'm so honored! Thank you! Thank you so much, I-"
The others gave him looks.
"I…mean…thank you for the offer, but I think for now, we're going to take a break from the stage and just enjoy each other's company in other ways, if that's all right."
Arthur nodded. "Of course. But surely there must be something else we can reward you with."
Madeline smirked. "As a matter of fact…"
Later, after some mingling and autograph signing with their new fans, the gang regrouped in Arthur's castle where Merlin had just returned from fulfilling their request.
"It is done." he said.
Madeline met up with him. "You did it? You fixed the portal?"
"I have. From this point forward, it shall only open to anyone who knows a secret message."
"What message is that?"
"That is up to you, child. Whatever you think is fitting."
Madeline turned to see Devon and Cornwall standing on the Round Table, posing for a portrait.
"Be sure to get our good side." Devon told the painter. "That's the side with my head, of course."
"Ha! You wish, ya mouth-breather!" Cornwall snapped.
"You're just jealous!"
"Oh yeah? Prove it! Oof!"
The dragon fell off the table and onto the floor, prompting Madeline to laugh.
"Um…how about 'silly dragons'?"
Merlin also chuckled. "Appropriate. Very well then. When you are ready to return to your realm, just whisper the message to it and it will remember. This way you and your friends can come and go as you please. All we ask in return is that you make sure no one besides you and young CJ know the code and don't share it with anyone."
"I will." Madeline nodded. "I'm just so happy we can stay friends. I still can't believe Arthur thought our play was the best."
"Oh, it was." Merlin agreed. "However, the contest's winners are not decided based on who gives the highest quality performance."
"They aren't?"
Merlin sat down beside her. "Ever since one of our knights abandoned us, Arthur has been working to create more and more alliances. But the only way he can determine someone's worth is by learning how much that person values the people they choose to associate with. It is called 'The Theater of Friendship competition,' mind you. Meaning, it is judged based on the connection each set of actors has with each other. I must tell you, every year we receive some truly talented individuals, but most of them only work alongside the others just to get in Arthur's good graces. With you, CJ, and the dragon, however, he could see a great deal of love and compassion being shared. Based on how enthusiastic you all were to perform together, it was clear you care for one another."
"Yeah, I think so." Madeline concurred. "To tell the truth, we were going to do something totally different, but then Devon changed his mind because he wanted us to have fun."
"Ah, yes. I could tell from the start he was going to take the contest a bit too seriously. But it seems to both him and the shorter dragon that in the end, your happiness is more important than their own desire for fame. It's obvious they love you very much."
"You're right. They may argue a lot, but that's one thing they can agree on."
"Indeed. And I don't blame them. Truthfully, you have a lot of the same qualities that Arthur has. I suppose that's why my recent vision had you in it."
Madeline looked puzzled. "Vision? What vi-" it was then that it dawned on her. "Wait…now I know why you look familiar! You're the guy who showed up in my dream! You defeated this furry thing with wings and came to save me from a tower I was locked in!"
Merlin grinned. "You are correct. That was me. I actually conjured up the dream myself so you would learn of our current predicament. Do you recall what else happened in your dream?"
Madeline thought hard. "…I don't remember much else, but I think I was captured by an evil knight. I never saw him, but he had his scary bird guard me."
"Yes. That knight was the very same one that betrayed Arthur's kingdom. His name is Ruber. A few days prior, I saw a vision depicting his return as well as you and the dragon being the key to his defeat. But how you would get to Camelot, it didn't say. Luckily, the vision showed me that the taller dragon had a tendency to be rather dramatic. Thus, I knew the theater competition was the perfect opportunity to bring you all here."
Madeline gasped. "So, it was you who sent the flyer to Devon and Cornwall?"
Merlin nodded.
"Wow…and…you really think we're the ones who have to beat this Ruber guy? How do we do it? And when is it happening?"
Merlin lifted her chin. "I don't have all the answers. But if there's one thing I've learned while working beside King Arthur, it's that with good friends, you are capable of anything."
Madeline smiled. Perhaps Merlin was right. With Devon and Cornwall as her friends, she felt a lot braver and stronger than before she had met them. And she was sure they felt the same way. No matter what sort of troubles she would face later on, Madeline wouldn't be afraid as long as her best friends were by her side.
Meanwhile, outside Camelot, a pair of mysterious figures hid in the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, glaring at King Arthur's castle.
"There it is, my pet…Camelot…isn't it magnificent?"
"Yes, Master…"
"And just think...Soon it will all be mine…"
DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Oh yeah, you knew he was coming eventually.
In all seriousness though, I have no ideas on where to go with this, so if you have one please share it in the reviews, otherwise that last-minute twist will be all for naught (Hm. I think Devon is getting to me.)
Well, I hope you enjoyed. New poll will go up next week so be sure to vote. Bye!