Chapter 5
 The King awakened early. Today was the day he had scheduled for the wandering band of entertainers to perform for the court. He called his main servant over.
"Is everything ready for tonight? The people want entertainment!" he said bossily.
The servant stammered, "Yes, Majesty, the plans have been made. The troupe should arrive any time now."
"Good, good," said the king, satisfied with that answer. "Inform me of their arrival the instant they walk through the castle gate. And what of Princess Garnet?" he inquired. "Has her finest gown been pressed? Are her jewels polished?"
"Yes, my lord," the servant said hastily, and ran off to polish the jewels before the king found out.
Cricket and her group made their way down to GoldenLake. She was asking Link about what had happened the night before.
"I am a healer," said Link quietly. No one else heard her. "I heal things by kissing them."
"And what exactly are your plans for GoldenLake? I'm sorry, but more than half of your group has now been killed. We can't just walk in there and do a little dance!" Cricket said in exasperation.
"We'll explain our dilemma to the king. Perhaps he shall give us horses, food and weapons to continue on our way," she said, seeming sure of herself.
They walked through the gloriously opulent gates of the castle. Cricket felt a little nervous of how the king would react to their situation, but Link looked confident.
The servant strode out to meet them. Link spoke to him. "Take us to his Majesty, please."
"Ah, yes, he ordered it to be so," the servant replied.
The small group was led inside the towering castle. All around them were sights of splendor and marvel. Hlao and Chris were swiveling their heads around trying to look at everything. Link, Strator, Kou, and Cricket all stayed close behind the servant, anxious to see the king.
At last, they came to the throne room. The king and Princess Garnet sat on golden jeweled thrones, looking pompous and rich. "Is this all of you?" the king asked with a slight disdain in his voice. Who was this motley crew that stood before him? He had expected the finest group around, but here they were, a ragged band of about six, standing before him! What an outrage!
"Majesty," said Link with her most winning voice and smile, "these three are all that is left of the band. Myself, and my two friends there with the sword and the mace. Our group was attacked, and most were killed. This is Cricket. Her village was destroyed, and she is out to seek her family's murderer. This is Strator, and this is Kou, and they are accompanying us. We are unable to perform for you tonight, so we plead before you to issue us horses, nutrition, and clothes."
The king looked disturbed at this news. "But... but... this is preposterous!! I am not paying you to ask me for money, I am paying you to perform!" An idea came to his pompous head. "Ah, yes. I know! You, all of you, will appear at court tonight. We shall present you to the people, and we shall explain your presence here, and then, after the crowd has had entertainment from this, there shall be dancing!! And a banquet!!" His mind was racing full speed.
Cricket spoke softly, gently, and as tactfully as possible. "Oh, no, your majesty, we could never do that. Waste your gold on such an expensive ordeal, and we really must be going, time stands still for no..."
The king cut her off with a wave of his hand. "You WILL appear at court tonight. It will be as I have said!"
Cricket sighed. There was no winning with this type of person.
"My servants shall provide you with baths and clothes to wear. They shall help you prepare for the forthcoming night. Prepare to become beautiful!"
Cricket shook her head slightly. The king must have come from a long line of inbreeding, because there definitely was a screw loose in his brain.
A servant girl took her arm. She could see all her friends being dragged off to be cleaned. She struggled. The last thing she wanted to do was to get all dolled up and appear in front hundreds of people, who would all be laughing at her soon enough. After she appeared looking silly in some girlish dress and shoes. She made up her mind. There was no way, ever, she would allow them to dress her up in frilly girlish wear.
Ten minutes later, she found herself shoved into a steaming hot bath. The girl scrubbed at her hair, trying to remove the dirt, mud, and other assorted grime that had come from sleeping outside for three nights.
"Ow!! Cut it out!... Ow!! Stop, stop, your hurting me!"
The maid grabbed her and took her off to the fitting room. Cricket simply couldn't wait to see what they had picked out for her. The very thought of it made her nauseous. She hurried along to keep from being physically dragged by the maid. She wondered if the others had to put up with all this rubbish. Probably not. And, they probably enjoyed it. She could just imagine Link or Strator relaxing in a hot bath, and then getting dressed up in fancy outfits. The door to the fitting room slammed behind her.
Back at the fortress... Cliff ran panting with Lance slung over his shoulder. He entered Emthane's chamber with fear.
"You failed to kill the girl," the evil one said.
"O Master, forgive me. They killed Lance."
"Bring his body to me."
Cliff brought forward the body. Emthane muttered some words Cliff could not hear, and Lance hovered in the air. Sparks shot from all around him, when suddenly, he stood up, as though he had never died.
"Haha... good as new," said Emthane in a non-joking voice.
Emthane's laugh made Cliff cringe. "Send Asia to me," said Emthane with menace.
Cliff and the now-living Lance hurried out of the chamber to send Asia.
Asia stood at the ready, near her master.
"Prepare everyone for tonight."
"Everyone?" she asked.
"Yes. Everyone. Send Tiamat, Cliff, Mysti, Lance, and Azeroth. I will expect them to finish the job that you and those idiot dunder heads failed to complete!"
"Yes, Master, I shall tell them." She turned to leave.
"Oh, and one more thing. Make them all wash themselves. If they are to be undercover, I won't have them smelling like rotting carcasses. That simply won't do. We must impress our friends in GoldenLake. Give everyone suitable clothes to wear. And pick something nice out for yourself. You are going too! Have a nice time at the banquet!" He chortled, and she turned out the door.
She did not want to go face Cricket once more. And they had to travel all the way to GoldenLake! She once again asked herself why she had turned to this way. She regretted it more than ever, but the only way out was death.
She ran toward the barracks, where the others were waiting for her to fill them in. She was dreading the upcoming banquet that was supposed to be fun for the kingdom. She knew it wouldn't end up that way.
Chapter 6
Cricket stood in front of the mirror, staring critically at herself. The banquet was due to begin soon, and she and her friends had to appear before the court. Ugh. the idea made her sick. She looked at herself, imagining how much Strator and Kou would laugh when they saw her, all gussied up and looking like... well, a girl. The thought made her cringe. Not like she cared what they thought or anything... and then she had to curtsy! They actually wanted her to curtsy! Like she would ever do that!
Strator, Kou, Hlao, and Chris paced back and forth in the room above the grand staircase upon which they would be introduced to the people. They all looked very handsome, clad in fine clothes from the king. "Where are they?!" Kou said impatiently, tapping his foot. The four of them were set to escort the two girls.
Strator shrugged. "Maybe they are having trouble doing Cricket's hair and makeup," he said with a wide grin. The others laughed hysterically at the thought of Cricket, waiting for her lips to be painted red.
Link appeared from the dressing room. She looked gorgeous, as usual. She was dressed in a long, flowing midnight blue gown, and her dark hair was perfectly straight. Kou stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty. He stumbled over to her, dazed. She took his arm gallantly, and flashed him a pretty smile. Kou practically drooled.
Strator, however, was still waiting for his lady. "Where's Cricket?" he asked Link. He was getting a little annoyed now. She had been in the room for over three hours. This was getting ridiculous!
Link simply laughed. "She's having... trouble... with her ensemble..." she gasped out before cracking up.
Strator was even more confused by this. He was about to burst through the door of the room just to rustle up his girl before the king had them all beheaded, when the door opened.
There stood Cricket. It was Cricket as she had never been seen before. Strator's jaw practically hit the floor. She... she looked spectacular! The others looked surprised at her sudden burst of feminity, but none as much so as Strator.
Her hair cascaded down in a mass of golden ringlets. Her lips looked soft and rosy, and her eyes sparkled, with either joy or anger, and they knew it wasn�t joy. She was clad in a gown of light lavender, with a slight shimmer to the material. She looked extremely uncomfortable. She squirmed around, and Link caught a glance at her dainty slippers.
Strator was standing agog at this wonder before him. She then shot him a murderous look, and muttered, "If I catch you laughing, I'll kill you!" in Strator's ear. Then she gave him a bright smile.
Strator was careful to keep his face straight, because he felt sure he had much to do before his death. "My lady, how marvelous you look this evening. Your beauty shines forth like the sun." He moved closer to her.
Cricket shoved him away, and fell to the ground, twisting her ankle in her dainty shoes. She cursed under her breath. "Now there's the Cricket I know," said Strator. "For a second there, I thought a miracle had been achieved."
Cricket pasted a toothy white smile on her face. She took Strator's arm, and through her gritted teeth, she mumbled, "Smile! We're about to be publicly humiliated!"
"Not you," said Strator softly. "No one would laugh at you when you look as you do."
The wide doors opened to the Ballroom, and a beam of light came pouring in. Hlao and Chris took the stairs first. Next went Kou and Link, both looking confident and sleek. At last it was Cricket and Strator's turn. Strator winced as her nails dug into his arm. He could hear her breathing, and he knew she was nervous. He stroked her hair. "Don't worry," he said, "it will all be fine."
With two deep breaths, they emerged out onto the wide staircase. Their matching flashy smiles shone. The courtiers and townspeople clapped and made lots of noise. Cricket's eyes widened. She swore, in the crowd, she had just seen Asia. She shook her head. All this silliness had gotten to her brain!
The two of them, with her still clutching his arm, and him striding forward like he owned the place, made their way down to the throne.
Hlao, Chris, Link, Kou, Strator, and Cricket stood before the crowd. The king introduced them to the people one at a time. The men bowed, and when it came to Link, she curtsied beautifully. Then, Cricket heard her name. She gave the best curtsy she could, knowing what fun they would make of her after this was over. She wobbled a bit, but Link's curtsy didn't wobble one iota.
Princess Garnet sat on her throne, looking indifferent to the travelers appearing. She was bored. She would much rather be shopping for new garments or jewels. Ah, the pressures of royalty, she thought to herself.
The small army from the fortress was also watching, waiting for their chance to strike. They all looked quite nice also. Emthane had given them fine clothes to wear, so they blended perfectly into the courtiers.
"Come on, let's kill them now!" said Azeroth.
�No!" said Asia. She bowed her pretty head. She thought she had seen Cricket look her way, but she wasn't sure. She tried not to think about it. "We wait until we have a better shot."
"When will that be?!" said Tiamat impatiently.
"We shall wait until the dancing begins. Each of us will lure them outside, and then, we will kill them."
The dancing music began...
Chapter 7
Cricket looked around as the people started dancing. Strator took her arm and walked her off to go dance. Cricket wasn't very good at dancing. Strator winced as she stepped on his foot. He played the perfect gentleman, though, of course. They whirled around the dance floor until the song was over, and then they went outside for some air. There were quite a lot of people in the ballroom.
Kou and Link had also ventured out into the open. Chris and Hlao stood talking to two pretty maidens, whom little did they know they were Tiamat and Mysti. Tiamat and Mysti led them outside too. Gradually, all of Cricket's party had left the ballroom. Cliff, Asia, and Lance slipped outside, knowing that their chance was near.
Azeroth was the only one who remained inside. He was speaking to Princess Garnet. He looked quite interested in her, and she was perfectly happy to let him stare at her. She babbled on about her riches, her dress, her jewels. He just nodded and stood there.
Strator and Cricket walked around a bit. Strator had just taken Cricket's hand, and was about to tell her something, when out from the trees by the castle came Asia, Lance, and Cliff. "Hey, wait a sec here..." said Strator. "You guys look familiar."
Lance smiled. Then, Cricket realized. She threw her powers into a shield over her and Strator an instant before the flames engulfed them. Strator drew his sword, ready to leap from the shield. Cricket began to charge up a small ball of energy to hurl at someone. She knew she had seen Asia! And what's worse, she still had her dress and dainty shoes on!
Strator hurled himself from the shield. He leapt onto Lance, slashing and cutting. Lance tried to burn him, but Cricket deflected the fire off of Strator. "You were dead already! I hate having to redo my work!" bellowed Strator, and plunged the sword into Lance's chest. Lance was still.
Strator leapt to his feet. Cliff was behind him. He gritted his teeth and lunged. Cliff dodged. Then Cricket hurled her ball at Cliff. It hit him full force, knocking the wind out of him. Just then, Kou, Link, Hlao, and Chris came running from behind the castle. Mysti and Tiamat were hot on their trails. They saw Cricket and Strator, and rushed into the fray.
Link! Come over here! said Cricket. We need you alive, in case someone gets hurt! Link ran to her and ducked into the protective shield.
Kou scrambled up into a tree, where he could get some shots in. He let an arrow loose. It hit Mysti in the leg. She shrieked, pulled it out, and then continued to attack.
Asia hid. She could see Cricket. She picked up a large boulder, with her mind. She had telekinetic powers, but she had never told anyone about them. She picked her target, the nice looking guy with the sword. The one who had killed Lance and was after Cliff. She moved the stone, faster and faster. *Thump* It connected with Strator's head. He crashed to the ground. Cricket screamed from inside. Hlao grabbed Strator and dragged him over to Cricket. She extended the shelter around him. Link knelt beside him.
Her eyes raised to Cricket. "I'm sorry, but this is what I must do," she said. Cricket nodded, trying to be indifferent, but she wished she was the one with the healing powers now. Link lowered her head to Strator's. Cricket could see the life flowing back into him.
From the treetop, Kou saw Link. He saw her kiss Strator. He knew nothing of her healing powers. He was overcome with anger. All this time! All this time she had let him believe it was he she wanted, but he was wrong. He pulled his bow so tight with rage, and when he released, the shaft went straight through Tiamat and hit Mysti, this time on the arm.
Tiamat was angry now. She summoned down spirits, and sent them on their attackers. The spirits sucked power out of everyone they touched. Hlao stumbled. Chris hacked slower. Kou slowed.
Cricket watched with horror at the scene before her. Time seemed to stand still. Link knelt over a now-alive Strator. Kou, Hlao, and Chris battled on bravely, though they were now losing badly. She hurried and channeled her power to the others, and they stood up once more. Link was now on the ground, for her healing had worn her out. Strator leapt out again. Cricket tossed a ball of heat in Asia's direction. She was rewarded with a shriek.
Hlao turned. He saw Mysti leaping upon him, ready to gouge his eyes out or do something equally bad. He dodged nimbly to one side, and when she hit the ground, he swung his mace with all his might. Her face was bludgeoned into the ground. He turned grimly, ready for more.
Asia knew they were losing now. They had lost Lance and Mysti, and Tiamat and Cliff were tiring. She saw two tiny slippers come flying out from the shield and bonk Cliff and Tiamat in the heads. Where was Azeroth? He was the one who had wanted to kill so badly, where was he now?
Azeroth had conveniently maneuvered the princess near the door. He would be able to get her out the door before they even heard her scream. He moved closer. Garnet, expecting a kiss, closed her eyes and puckered up. But he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her outside. She was stunned by this, and before she could utter a word, she was outside in the chilly night air.
The weary battlers saw Azeroth come out with Garnet. Chris rushed over, sword at the ready. "You're not going anywhere, pal!" he shouted, and slashed Azeroth's face. Azeroth roared with rage, and caught Chris off guard. He cut Chris down with his huge sword, and then he broke into a run. He had to get his prize far away, before the king realized his baby was gone and sent the royal guards after him. He tossed Garnet up onto his horse, and galloped off.
Asia, Tiamat, and Cliff retreated while the good guys ran to their fallen comrade. They slunk off intro the night, knowing Emthane would be furious after this failure.
"Get Link awake!" cried a panicked Cricket. Strator shook Link, but to no avail. She was totally out. "We're going to lose him!" she screamed at Link's body. "Don't you see?" she yelled crazily. Strator shushed her quietly. He hugged her close, saying, "It's going to be ok. Link is asleep now, Chris will be fine."
Hlao knelt beside his fallen friend. Kou had come down from the tree perch, still very angry at Link and Strator. He softened when he saw Chris. He knelt beside Hlao. The others followed. Soon, they were all kneeling, except for Link, who of course was still out. Cricket's tears flowed freely. The others wept too, but it was a manly weeping. They knelt there until the king stormed outside in a hazy rage, worried sick about his daughter, who had been borne off to the fortress by now.
"What in God's name happened here?! Where is my daughter?! What have you lot done to her?! His majesty demands to know!" he shouted in Strator's face.
"Highness, let us go inside. It has been a long night for all. I'll explain once we are inside," said Strator, always the calm and collected one.
Hlao and Kou lifted Chris' body gently, and with Strator carrying Link, the small, sad procession made their way inside. Cricket trailed behind. How could she have let this happen? She kept making mistakes. Deadly mistakes that cost her friends their lives. She was a fool, and to make matters worse, she was a fool dressed like a girl!
Chapter 8
The king hopped around furiously, like an angry bee. "How could this happen?! This is preposterous!! How could this...! How could this happen!! You let them take my daughter!!!!" Now he was stuttering with rage.
Strator cleared his throat. He said calmly and soothingly, "Your majesty, we did everything in our power to prevent this. One of ours died trying to get your daughter back."
The king stopped in mid-hop. He suddenly seemed to realize that there was a dead body in the room with them. His face softened. "Oh... I didn't know that..." he admitted. He suddenly thought of what he could do to help.
"Yes, I will provide you with whatever you need. Weapons, horses, clothes, anything! And, I shall send my most loyal guard with you to aid you." A lanky soldier stepped forward. "Kandari will be a great help to you. You see, he has the powers of an enchanter. No doubt you can use another person on your perilous quest."
Strator nodded gratefully. "We thank you, Highness. We shall be on our way immediately." He bowed, and the group made their way to collect the goods they would need.
Six well-groomed horses galloped away from GoldenLake. They hurried off down the road toward the fortress that held the end to their quest.
At about dusk, the riders drew to a halt. The sky was beginning to turn a light purple, a sign that the fortress was growing closer, but they still had a ways to go.
They dismounted, unpacking the food they needed after a long day's ride. Link, now well recovered, went about her task cheerily, trying to be near Kou. He pulled away from her, still fuming about the previous night. Link looked puzzled by this.
The food was ready. The travelers sat down and ate ravenously. Strator finished first, and he looked in Kou's direction. Kou shot him a dirty look, and then turned his head away. Strator was curious to why, as Kou hadn't said a word to him since last night. He stood, stretched, and said to Kou, "Hey, let's take a little walk, shall we?" Kou looked as though he would rather have a red hot poker shoved into his eye, but he stood too. He strode off into the woods, and Strator hurried off behind him.
Cricket and Link looked at each other and shrugged. They continued to shovel in the food.
"Kou, what's up with you man? Why are you so angry?" Strator said to his friend.
"Oh, nothing really, Mr. I-Like-Cricket!" was Kou angry retort.
"What are you talking about?" said Strator. He had been only slightly conscious when this had happened.
"You know what I mean!" growled Kou, and punched Strator in the jaw.
Strator was taken aback. His head whipped back. It was a pretty hard punch, and he could taste blood. "Please, tell me what you are so mad about."
"You...you kissed her!" Kou exploded.
"I didn't kiss anyone!"
"Yes you did! I saw you last night! You were laying down, and she... she kissed you!!" Kou's face was turning red with anger now.
Strator took a deep breath. "I was dying, Kou. She saved me. You didn't know this, but she has healing powers, and to use them, she has to kiss people."
Kou looked startled. "Quit playin', man. You can't be serious. I know what I saw, and she kissed you!"
"She saved my life! I would have died if not for her!"
Kou looked immensely relieved. He took off back to the camp, feeling happier than he had in a long time.
Strator shook his head and laughed. He walked back leisurely.
Kou came running into the camp. He saw Link, ran to her, and picked her up. He spun her around. Cricket and Link both thought Strator must have hit Kou in the head or something.
Kou looked at Link. "I'm sorry," he said. "I made a mistake." She looked quizzical, but that didn't last long. Soon, she understood. Kou hugged her close, and they kissed. It was not a kiss to heal, but Kou felt renewed! He felt alive! More so than usual!
Cricket watched. She smiled. Link was always one for this kind of stuff. She noticed Hlao and Kandari smiling too. They were glad the dispute was settled.
Kou and Link were still kissing. Cricket was getting a little annoyed now. "Geez guys, take it somewhere else. You're going to make me hurl up my gruel!"
Kou and Link laughed, and took off into the trees.
Hlao laughed. "They should be gone for awhile," he said, guffawing loudly.
Emthane sat in his chair, with Azeroth standing before him. "Ah, you have brought me a prize, I see. To compensate for the others' stupidity, I assume."
"Yes Lord," said Azeroth, and brought forward Princess Garnet, who was now knocked out.
"Good, good," said Emthane. "When the others arrive, they shall pay for failing me." He tapped his fingers together with a sinister smirk.
Asia, Cliff, and Tiamat knew the horror that awaited them at the fortress, but the punishment would be worse if they ran. They rushed into Emthane's chamber, where Azeroth stood already. He looked smug and happy.
The three who had just enter formed a line. Emthane looked angry, just as they had expected. "Imbeciles! Fools! Doddering Morons! Why did you fail me?! You let them kill Mysti and Lance, and yet, you did not even kill the girl for me! Azeroth here is the only one of you brickheads that actually did something right! He killed one of them, and he brought me the princess!" Electricity was beginning to form around his fingertips. Asia cringed. She knew what was coming. She gritted her teeth as the searing pain came.
A crackling noise, and then the screams of three people came from the chamber...
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