First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! (To everyone who celebrates it) And I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays, breaks, and Black Friday!
Anyways, back to the story...
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When Fae came into Peter and Alice’s room, she brought in hot tea and food.
“You are our guests,” Fae said, she had black hair but pale skin and light blue eyes, and her hair was tied back in a braid. “Ve vill bring you anything you need.”
“Thank you,” Peter nodded, taking the tray of food and tea.
When Fae left, Peter offered both mugs of tea to Alice. “I don’t like tea,” he said, even though he’d never tried it. He wanted Alice to keep her strength up, despite Peter being the one with broken ribs.
Alice smiled in thanks, before looking at the tea with a strange expression. Almost as if the thought of being offered tea upset her. But she seemingly shook herself from the feeling and began to drink the tea. They shared the biscuits and fruit, Alice being glad it was vegetarian.
“What are we going to do?” Alice asked when they’d finished the food, “Obviously splitting up didn’t help any, if anything it made everything worse. We need to find the others.”
Peter nodded, contemplating what to do next. “Tell me the prophecy again. You always seem to remember it.”
Alice stood up and began pacing as she had in Old Joe’s shack, right after they had first been told the prophecy.
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“It is foretold,
that six children of twelve years old,
shall come to the forsaken kingdom to claim,
the prize that must not be named,
and so on the twenty-first of December,
shall these heroes soon remember,
that the curse will be gone, and the quest, one.”
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Alice paced some more, racking her brain once again and trying to figure out what it meant. “Forsaken…” she said to herself, “Forsaken…forsaken means abandoned, so what kingdom is abandoned? Bellona is surely occupied, and so is Hilgaria since two of us are going there for help. Thuron…Thuron’s kingdom is used for democracy, not a monarchy, so it could be forsaken, but Dueglestien…” Alice wrinkled her brow, then gasped, her eyes open wide with realization.
“What? What is it?” Peter asked, eager to know what she’d found out.
“Peter, what country, or kingdom has been chasing us this entire time?”
Peter was confused now, “Dueglestein, but how does that-”
“Dueglestein!” Alice said excitedly, “Dueglestein is the one that left. They abandoned their country to look for us! They’ve traveled all this way and are trying to stop us, but why? Because they’re the forsaken kingdom! They left their kingdom behind to stop this prophecy, but in doing so have started it in the first place!”
“But how do we know they wanted to stop it?” Peter wasn’t quite following, although Alice seemed to have figured it out.
“Peter, remember when we first started this journey, and Skylar woke up and that Achilles guy came in and yelled at Boromir for starting the prophecy? They wanted to stop it for some reason, but they inadvertently started it by abandoning their kingdom and making it forsaken, just like the prophecy said!” Alice laughed at that, clapping her hands as she’d figured out the forsaken kingdom.
“That’s great, but now we just know the forsaken kingdo-wait…” Peter now understood.
“Shall come to the forsaken kingdom to claim,” Alice said, looking at Peter with wide eyes, “Peter, that’s where we need to go, what we need to do next! We need to go to Dueglestein!”
Just then, the door opened and Adalene walked in. “Ze council vould like to see you. Zey need to make a decision.”
Peter was confused about why the council would need to make a decision and not Adalene, considering she was the queen and all.
Adalene led them through the many passageways, until they came to a room where the council must be held, rows and rows of seats filled with older-looking, male, elfes.
Peter saw Adalene take a deep breath, then she said to the councilmen, “Dear council. It has come to my attention zat zese children are on a quest. Ze Great Quest of ze Six zat vas prophesied fifteen years ago! You all remember zat time ven Dueglestein threatened to destroy our world vith zeir dark magic. So you all know zat ze sorceress of Bellona created ze prophecy and chose ze 6 children before zey vere even born! Zese children only ask for aid to complete zeir quest and save Iddenu. Is zat not something ve can provide?”
One of the councilmen, an old elfe stroked his graying beard and said, “Have ve not lived in secret for years? Vat if ze Dueglesteiners turn zeir sights on us? If zey are hunting zese children, vat vill stop zem from viping us out?”
More councilmen agreed with his statement, making Adalene furious.
“Zese children are ze chosen ones who vill save all of us! Not just ze elfes, but all of Iddenu! If you vill not support zem, I vill.” Adalene turned to walk away, but the elfe who had spoken against her before now said: “If you do zis, you vill give up being a queen, and no longer be velcome here.”
Adalene turned, glaring at the elfe “Zen I am no longer queen.”
Adalene stormed out of the room, Peter and Alice following close behind.
“Stupide fils de pute égoïste,” Adalene muttered, which Peter assumed was an elfeish curse as she muttered more strings of curses. “Zey have no idea vat zey’re doing.”
They stopped by the armory, where Adalene began stocking up on weapons including two thin swords, a spear which she strapped on her back, along with an assortment of knives and daggers which she shoved into the pockets of her jacket. Adalene pulled her cloak over herself, then asked if Peter and Alice needed some weapons.
Alice, who’d lost the blade she had gotten from the Secret Woods, grabbed another blade from the armory, and Peter picked out a club like the one he’d had at the Secret Woods.
Adalene then began to lead them out of the tree, and Peter had to run to keep up with her, sending pain through his ribs. “Adalene!” he shouted, trying to get her attention, “Adalene, wait up!”
Adalene finally stopped, turning to face Peter. “Why is there a council if you are the queen?”
“Because zey do not vant to admit zat zey are a democracy, not a monarchy like in ze Ancient Years, how it has always been. Zey vant ze people to see a young, beautiful, queen, not see how it really is a bunch of old, selfish, men.”
Peter stopped. “That doesn’t make any sense!”
“It doesn’t have to,” Adalene explained, as they left the tree, “My own soldiers vill be coming after me soon, driving me away from my home. Do you have your bird? Ze giant eagle that vas vith you at ze abandoned barn?”
Peter nodded and whistled for Ajax. It took a moment, but Ajaz swooped down, and they mounted his feathered back.
“Vhere are ve going?” Adalene asked.
Alice looked at Peter, and she said, “We have to find our friends."
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