The sun shone bright on the castle, where the king of Amphibia was waiting for Anne, Jean and the Plantars. Marcy led them through the castle, as her visitors stared in wonder at it.
"Dang, girl. This is where you've been hanging out this whole time?" Anne asks her friend. Marcy chuckles, waving her off. "I wouldn't say I "hang out" here, but yes! Staying at the castle has been awesome!"
Flossie squeals. "This is AMAZING! We're about to meet the king!" She pumps her fist as she walks. The axolotl was still wearing her cloak, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself.
Sprig nods, agreeing with Flossie's statement. "Yeah! I can't believe we're here!"
"Ditto!"
Jean was a little more concerned. Yes, she was equally as excited and nervous to meet the royalty of amphibia, just like her fellow companions. But for the last half hour, she felt another emotion...anger? Hatred?
And with each minute, it was getting worse. The human couldn't understand it. For now, she was attempting to shove that feeling down.
Hop Pop looks around, walking behind the others. "Wow, just look at this place!" He stops, insecure thoughts filling his head. "Am I dressed okay? Should I have worn my silk ascot? I'll go back and get it!" He tries to go back to the fwagon to retrieve the ascot, when Marcy stops him.
"Hey, hey. Don't stress, guys! This is no big deal." She tries to reassure.
The doors at the end of the hall opens, and out comes Lady Olivia. She hurries towards the travellers. "Okay, frog family. You're about to meet King Andrias. This is a big deal." She says in a darker, strict tone. Everyone gulps, now anxious.
Flossie's smile falls, as she looks at Lady Olivia, then at the large doors before them. Memories from the previous day with Lilly swarmed around her head. In just a few seconds, the axolotl felt dread filling her gut, as she pulls the hood further over her head.
Marcy looks over to see Flossie was now quiet, nervously looking at the large doors. She kneels down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Flossie Blossie. What's wrong? Aren't you excited to see the king?" She asks.
Flossie whimpers, looking between the ground and the doors. "Y-yeah. I-i am excited to see the king! It's just..." she pauses, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Just what?"
"W-what if he doesn't like me?" She looks up at Marcy, her gut twisting in anxiety.
"Whaaaat? That's crazy, Floss! Andrias likes everybody, and I know he's gonna love you!" She says matter-of-factly, pointing at Flossie's chest. Flossie looks down. "How do you know?"
Marcy holds Flossie's hand, eyes sparkling with determination. "Because you are an adorable little thang, who spreads love where ever she goes." She states. The axolotl smiles. Filled with new confidence, she wipes away the stray tears, nodding her head. Walking forward, she follows after Lady Olivia.
Jean places a hand on Marcy's shoulder, sending the girl a thankful smile. "Thanks, Mar-mar." She says softly. Marcy grins, giving her a thumbs up. "Hey, no prob!"
——
Lady Olivia led them into the throne room. Angelic voices sing as they enter, and the intricate designs captivated everyone. They gasp in wonder, approaching the throne. Lady Olivia bows, introducing the king.
"May I present to you Andrias Leviathan, Lord of Amphibia, Peacekeeper of a thousand years and the first of his name."
Everyone looks up at the throne, gasping. "Now that's king-sized." Anne breathes. Flossie's jaw drops, eyes sparkling. Before them sat the king, partly obscured from their view by the light shining behind him. The giant newt stares down at them.
"Hello, Plantar family!" The king greets, a huge grin covering his features. He starts cackling at their reactions. Getting up, he steps down from the throne, arms wide open. "Oh, bring it in, you guys. Bring it in!"
Hop Pop ushers the kids to bow. But the king merely picks them up, hugging them. "It's so good to finally meet you!" Andrias laughs. Flossie, Polly, Sprig and Hop Pop found it hard to breathe for a moment, but he just as quickly put them back down. Polly gets up first. "I LOVE this guy!" She yells excitedly.
Flossie was the next to get up, flapping her hands excitedly. "I was just hugged by the king of amphibia!" She breathes, grinning widely.
Lady Olivia walks over, unamused by the kings behaviour. "Dear King Andrias, just once, it would be nice if you followed proper castle etiquette." She says firmly. The king blows a raspberry. "Oh, etiquette smetiquette!" He scoffs. Glancing over to Anne, Jean and Marcy, he turns to face them. "Ooh! And what do we have here?" He asks curiously.
Anne waves nervously. "Hey." She says. Jean gives him a peace sign, smiling. "G'day, mate."
Andrias kneels down in front of them. "And you two must be Anne and Jean! Sup! Am I saying it right? Sssup?" He asks, directing the question to Marcy. The girl gives his majesty a thumbs up. "You got it!"
The king cackles at this. "The thumb of approval! And here's a thumb for you too, girls." He gives Anne and Jean a thumbs up. The wind from his hand blows both girls hair. "Oh, uh...right back at ya." Anne hesitantly gives him a fist bump.
The king looks down at his hands, bursting into exuberant laughter at this new trick the human had taught him. He jumps excitedly, causing the floor to shake due to his size. "Delightful!"
The force of the mini quake causes not only Anne and Jean to fall over, but also the axolotl. Flossie falls onto her face, the bottom of her cape covering her head completely, leaving her to struggle against the cloth.
The king spots her, as Marcy helps her two human friends to their feet. "Need some help, young one?" He asks, kneeling down. Flossie waves her arms around, attempting to fix it. "No, no! I think I got it!" She says hurriedly.
Andrias helps lift up the end of the cape, in the process lifting her hood and flicking it back. Revealing her bright red hair and pale complexion.
Flossie stands up, brushing herself off, before realising Lady Olivia and the few guards were staring at her in shock. Patting her head, she hurriedly pulls her hood back on, cheeks heating up in shame.
She looks up at Andrias, expecting a look of disgust. But she was surprised to see a look of admiration.
"By the mother olms, I don't believe it!" He cried out in glee. He gently picks up the axolotl, holding her up at eye level. "I haven't seen an albino amphibian in such a long time!" Flossie hesitantly pulls back the hood again, smiling shyly up at the king as he continued. "And what might your name be, little one?" He asks. Flossie smiles, as she stands on his palm. "I'm Flossie Harveston, your majesty." She bows. Andrias laughs. "Please, drop the formalities. Call me Andrias! That goes for all of you, too." He states, placing Flossie back on the ground next to the Plantars.
"So, tell me! You wouldn't happen to have any unnatural abilities, would you?" The king asks curiously to Flossie. The axolotl was ecstatic. "I do, as a matter of fact!" She exclaims.
"Well then, let us see it!"
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Flossie concentrates. For a few seconds, nothing happened. But soon a droplet of water appeared. Then another, and another. Pretty quickly, the group were surrounded by small, dancing droplets of water. Everyone "oohs" and "ahs" at the performance. Even Lady Olivia was captivated, reaching out a hand to touch a few stray droplets.
Jean grins, watching her little sister showing off her talent with pride.
Nobody noticed the kings smile falter for a brief moment, a look of recognition crossing his features. It was gone as soon as it had appeared, and he chuckles excitedly, touching the droplets mid air. "Extraordinary!"
Hearing a yelp, everyone glances over to the source. Jean held her head in her hand, groaning in pain. The droplets fell to the ground, as Flossie rushes over to her friend. "Jean! Are you okay?" She asks worriedly.
Jean hisses in pain. While she was watching her friends, an immense head-ache had formed. The teen couldn't explain why.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think I gotta go sit down." She mutters, rubbing her sore head. She felt like passing out, which she did NOT want to happen.
Andrias shakes his head. "Now, that just won't do! Lady Olivia, would you mind leading Jean to where the Plantars will be staying? The Plantars will surely keep her updated later." Lady Olivia, after putting her book away, gives the king a nod and a bow, guiding the human out of the throne room. Flossie watches her go, concerned.
"I hope she'll make a swift recovery." Andrias said. He turns to Marcy and Anne, rubbing his hands together. "But enough with the introductions, let's get down to business: getting you girls back home, safe and sound."
Standing up straight, the king hums in thought, shaking his head. "Alas, without the music box, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Marcy doesn't have it, and, well, I assume you don't have it either. Unless, of course, Jean has it?" He questions hopefully, sitting down. Anne perks up.
"Oh! Uh, actually, I do have the box." Anne says matter-of-factly. At this announcement, Andrias and Marcy are shocked. "What? Are you serious?"
"Why, this is marvellous news! Come, come, let's see it!" Andrias presses. Anne hesitates. "Well, I don't "have it, have it". Hop Pop left it with some contacts to see what they could learn about it." The human explains.
Flossie glances over to Hop Pop, who chuckles nervously at being in the spotlight.
"But I do have a photo of it!" The brunette says, holding up her phone. Andrias chuckles. "Yes, yes, a photo... Let's see here." Putting on a small, pink pair of glasses, he inspects the photo.
"Hmm, how peculiar...Marcy, didn't you say the gems were coloured? Look here. They're... they're grey." The king points out. Anne looks as well. "Hey, you're right. I never actually noticed that." She rubs the back of her neck awkwardly.
