Outcasts and Royals

Chapter 9

"Good morning, girls. How did you sleep?" Erik greeted Sylvia and Katherine the next morning in their tents.

"Surprisingly well," Katherine responded after sitting up from the pile of blankets she had slept on. "I've never slept outdoors before, but using these blankets made it a lot more comfortable than I thought it would."

"I also slept well, and now I'm ready for a full day of adventure and training," Sylvia added.

"That's great, girls. Katherine, now that you're able to climb trees, you will learn how to use a sword in a way that if you get into a fight, you'll get out mostly unscathed," Paris explained before giving her a sword.

"Whoa, this is surprisingly heavy," Katherine said.

"Alright, change of plans. Help you to be able to lift the sword, so you're ready to fight," Paris corrected himself.

Madeline woke up shortly after the sun was in the sky.

"Today is the day that I use my makeshift rope to escape this tower and start looking for help to get off this island," Madeline thought as she walked over to the closet. However, when she opened the doors, there was only one of the simpler dresses and nothing more. The door that led outside opened, revealing Mercuris with Madeline's breakfast.

"Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted as he set the food down on the table again.

"Where are the rest of the dresses that were in my closet?" Madeline asked as she sat down.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about the spell on this tower. It looks like your room at home on the inside, but an ordinary tree on the outside. However, as each day passes and every time you decline my marriage proposal, the inside becomes a little less lovely, and the tower leans a little closer to the water. By the end of the week, if you still don't agree to marry me, your room will seem more like a prison and will be in the water, where you will drown," Mercuris explained.

"WHAT!" Madeline exclaimed, horrified by her possible future in store.

"By the end of the week, if you don't agree to marry me, you will drown," Mercuris repeated. "I think that means we'll have to spend a lot of time together then."

"Your Supreme Handsome Intelligent Powerful Highness Prince Nathaniel Ferdinand Oscar Gerald Corey Harold Albert Liam Edward Kaleb the Ninth of Xebia, the sun is now in the sky. I think that it's time to start the journey today. We have a new horse to help find Princess Madeline," Gary said to Prince Nathaniel shortly after the sun was in the sky. Nathaniel handed him a piece of parchment, which Gary opened up and read.

'First of all, the name is Prince Nathaniel Frederick Oliver Gregorious Clancy Humphrey Archibald Leopold Edmund Kristian the Ninth of Xebia. Second, I can still sleep while the sun is in the sky and the carriage is moving. Third, you're allowing the creature that tried to kill me yesterday to join us on our quest? I can still feel the pain!'

"What's going on in there?" Matteo asked as he walked up to Gary.

"His Royal Highness doesn't want to wake up," Gary replied while showing Matteo the note.

"Oh, well. I guess if Prince Nathaniel doesn't wake up soon, he'll miss the Gold's Giver Festival that's going to happen a couple of miles away. He probably doesn't know about the morning bats that live here and attack the unaware," Matteo said loudly, making sure his master could hear him.

"Gold Giver's Festival? Morning bats that attack people? Changing Servant, put up the tent again; we're leaving!" Nathaniel exclaimed as he leaped out of the coach in his nightclothes. "Don't forget to change the carriage back to day mode!" he added to Matteo.

"Works every time," Matteo whispered to Gary with a smile while getting the carriage back to normal. "Oh, I also learned that the new horse's name is Bonnie."

"How did you do it? I thought she couldn't talk."

"I simply guessed a lot of different names while I was tending to her leg last night. When I said the name Bonnie, she nodded while with all the other names, she shook her head."

"Alright, I'm ready to go to the Gold Giver's Festival," Nathaniel announced as he left the changing tent.

"Oh, I just remembered, the Gold Giver's Festival is next week," Matteo lied as he had made up the entire Gold Giver's Festival in the first place.

"Oh, but I was so looking forward to it as soon as I woke up. Oh, never mind, let's start traveling for the day, so the morning bats don't kill me."