A Sleeping Knight! An Enemy Revealed
Jane and Sir Theodore went into the banquet hall to join the royal families of Enchancia and Kippernium for dinner.
Gunther was about to pour a glass of water for Jane.
When a mysterious man showed up with a flask of some kind of murky liquid in it.
"You do not want water, Miss Turnkey." the man (Cedric in disguise) said to Jane.
"Who are you?" Gunther asked the man out of suspicision.
"Who I am is of no concern of yours," the man said to Gunther. "now, Miss Turnkey, are you thirsty?"
"Yes, I am." Jane answered the man who set the flask on the table next to Jane.
"Miss Turnkey," the disguised Cedric said. "this elixir is made of the nectars of the sweetest fruits in all Enchancia, usually, only the king and queen are allowed to have it."
This piqued Jane's interest.
"Hmm," Jane said. "sounds interesting."
Jane reached for the flask as soon as she touched it, she felt sudden cold tingle in the back of her neck and flashed to a vision of Cedric in his laboratory donning the disguise of the man in front of her, she also saw him adding something to the liquid to make it murky before pouring into the flask.
Then, she snapped back to reality.
"On second thought, I don't think I want any of your elixir... thank you." she said, handing the flask back to him
"Jane," Jester said. "instead of water, would you like some white grape juice? Their majesties said it's fresh and all of us were welcome to it."
"Yes, I would very much like some, thank you, Jester." Jane said.
Jester poured some in a goblet and handed it to Jane.
Jane took it, thanked Jester and took a sip.
"This could use just a little bit of sugar," Jane said, looking around. "where's the sugar bowl?"
"Uh oh," Gunther said. "it's in front of Prince Cuthbert!"
"Uh oh! is right!" Jane said, putting down her goblet, jumping up and walking to Prince Cuthbert's spot.
Prince Cuthbert was sprinkling sugar on his food when his parents weren't looking.
"This will be good!" Prince Cuthbert exclaimed.
"Your little highness," Jane said, grabbing the sugar bowl. "you know you're not supposed to have sugar on your dinner."
Cuthbert pouted as Jane took the sugar bowl.
Meanwhile, back at Jane's place, Cedric had slipped back while everyone was distracted by Jane saving Enchancia from Prince Cuthbert on a sugar rush, and poured the liquid from the flask into her drink, then he slipped away.
Jane came back to her seat, sat down, and reached for her her goblet, she put a pinch of sugar in the liquid.
Gunther was about to ask her why she had apparently gone into what looked like a trance earlier, when his sensitive nose picked up a slight acrid smell he looked down and saw a couple drops of the murky liquid he had seen that strange character trying to push on Jane, then in clicked in his mind that the drops were right next to the goblet.
"Jane st..." Gunther started but is was too late, Jane had already taken a sip.
As soon as she tasted it, Jane saw a flash of the strange man pouring the murky liquid into her goblet, but that was the last thing she saw as she lost consciousness.
Gunther barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Jane!" King Caradoc, Sir Theodore, and Sir Ivon called out, running to the only female knight apprentice.
Jane was being cradled in Gunther's arms.
"Was anyone here besides us?" King Roland demanded to know.
"Just some old man who offered a drink to Jane." Princess Lavinia observed.
"Old man?" Roland asked Princess Lavinia.
"Did you see where he was, Darling?" King Caradoc asked Lavinia.
"No, I didn't, Daddy-King." Princess Lavinia answered.
"We must take Jane to her guest quarters." Queen Miranda said.
Violet, Dorrie, and Candice passed on by the banquet hall.
"What... what has happened here?" Violet asked.
"An old man put Jane to sleep with some kind of murky liquid." Jester answered Violet.
"Eternal Nightshade!" Violet exclaimed.
"Princess Lavinia, that was not an old man," Dorrie said seriously. "that was Cedric!"
Princess Lavinia knelt by her father who was at Jane's side.
"Cedric? Who is Cedric?" Princess Lavinia asked.