Crossover IV Poison Apple (Part II)

Chapter 14 Renegade

Chapter 14

Renegade

            The queen returned to Ventura with Kendal and Vanessa, bringing along the young princess's frozen body. The people of the kingdom wore black to mourn the lost princess. Five days later seven small men, Kendal presumed to be the seven dwarves, arrived with what they called an enchanted glass coffin. They claimed it would preserve the body from time to come.

            Over the past few days, Kendal hardly saw much of the queen. She figured it was best for now to give Sahrissa some time to herself. Hopefully then, she'll agree on her own terms to assist in defeating the Ice Queen. In the meantime, Kendal used her magic to summon some of Greg's books to learn as much as she could about the Icelands and it's queen.

            As her eyes scanned the pages, Kendal heard a driving knock on the door to the private room she was in.

            "Queen Kendal, I have urgent news," a male tone insisted.

            "Come in," Kendal answered.

            The skinny reporter opened the door and took a brief bow before going on, "The Ice Queen has taken over Bellaire and declared war against Ventura. We must prepare our defenses immediately!"

            Kendal stood up and asked, "What does Queen Sahrissa want to do?"

            The young man shrugged. "She won't say. The queen has not even come out of her chambers since the princess has fallen. I'm afraid the people have no choice but to turn to you."

            Kendal sighed. "I'll try to talk to Sahrissa myself. You'll have her too. For now, are there any other kingdoms that might come to our aid?"

            "We have already contacted Galatia," he answered. "They are sending troops as we speak."

            "Good. I'll send word to Evalius too," Kendal added. "The people there are much healthier and stronger now. Perhaps some of them will be willing to help fight."

            The man frowned. "Forgive me, but I heard you were no longer queen there. Would the people listen to you?"

            "They might. They don't exactly have a lot of options given their current queen's state," Kendal said with a doleful sigh.

            Kendal then dismissed the man and decided to go find the queen and see if she could reason with her. There were several guards standing in the hallway, holding torches. The only other source of light came from the setting sun, peeking through the windows. Kendal stopped for a moment to glance outside at the orange sky. She wished she could feel the as warm as the sky appeared but all Kendal felt was coldness.

            "Do you think it looks the same?"

            Kendal turned to her left and saw Vanessa leaning across an entrance that led to a balcony above the garden.

            "Vanessa," Kendal gasped. "I almost didn't see you there."

            Vanessa ignored her startle and asked again, "In Nebraska, do you think the sunset looks the same. Is Walter looking at the same sun we are, or our parents..."

            As her voice trailed off, Kendal sighed. "I don't know. I never really gave it much thought."

            "Walter would probably know," Vanessa went on sadly. "Do you think we'll ever be able to see them again?"

            "We will," Kendal said, trying to sound firm. "But first we have to defeat the Ice Queen."

            Vanessa actually turned her head to look at her friend. "How? From what we know, she sounds pretty undefeatable."