Crossover IV Poison Apple (Part II)

Chapter 15 Preparations

Chapter 15

Preparations

Vanessa awoke in higher spirits then she felt the previous night. It seemed quite odd how crying seemed to drain those negative feelings out. She hopped out of bed and quickly put on a simple blue dress she found in the closet of the guest room she stayed in.

As she rapidly pranced down the hallway the only heat Vanessa could feel was from the torches she passed by. The very moment she made her way into the throne room, she heard the arrival of Galatia's troops announced.

Vanessa's heart skipped as the doors opened and the troops from Galatia marched in. She eyed everyone eagerly searching for Derek, but most men kept their dark silver helmets on.

"Hey stranger," a voice came from behind her.

Vanessa turned around and saw Derek in rustic armor, holding in helmet under his arm. Without hesitation, she ran up to him and flung her arms around his neck. Derek patted her on the back.

"It's good to see you again," Derek said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, you too." Vanessa stepped back and scanned his armor. "You look so..."

"Like a knight?" Derek suggested for her.

Vanessa smiled. "Yeah, I guess you do. How does it feel?"

"It was a little strange at first," Derek admitted, "but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I just keep reminding myself what I'm fighting for."

"Right," Vanessa muttered quietly, looking down at her feet.

Derek glanced up at the currently vacant throne and asked, "So how's this whole two-queens-one-kingdom thing working?"

Vanessa shrugged and let out a sigh. "I don't know. I haven't even seen Sahrissa since we returned after Snow White's attack."

"I heard about that," Derek remarked. "The queen seems to actually care about Snow White now, right?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Well, hopefully now she'll be willing to help us," Derek pointed out.

"That's what Kendal thinks," Vanessa confirmed. "But I don't know if they've even spoken on the matter yet." 

Derek let out a deep sigh before saying, "Well, you were right."

Vanessa looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Kendal does care about Aria more than she hates the queen," Derek said, softly. "I guess I shouldn't have doubted her."

Vanessa opens her mouth to say something but before she had the chance, the trumpets sang followed by an announcer.

"Knights of Galatia," The announcer began in a prompt voice. "The queen welcomes you to Ventura. Our ladies-in-waiting will assure that you find comfortable lodgings. You are permitted to use our armory and training rooms to prepare for upcoming battles. The queen herself will address you all directly this evening."

As the announced stepped back, Derek wondered aloud, "Which queen is he talking about?"

Vanessa could only shrug. "I don't know. Maybe we should go find Kendal and find out exactly what's going on."

                                                                                                           xXx

            She shot two arrows. One hit an arm and the other a leg. Neither was what she intended.

            Kendal huffed and stared at the broad human drawing with the two arrows shot through. Even though it had no face drawn, she still felt as though it were mocking her. Out of frustration, Kendal snatched two daggers from the wall and thrashed them at the drawing. The right dagger split the arrow while the left hit a foot above the other arrow.