How the Other Half Waits Around

[Moonitic]

"Wait a minute!" Moon whirled, heading out the door behind Tæbryn. "I think this time I need to handle this myself. It's my job! What's old von Schmect going to do, drool on me?"

[Swordsman]

Slade rolled his eyes. "Might as well join the party," he told Ken-Dall, before following the rest of the procession out the door.

[Swordsman]

"If I were trying to take control of the kingdom," Krasala asked Moon, "where would you advise me to go?"

[Moonitic]

"Umm...if it was my kingdom...away!" Moon answered, flustered, as she tried to keep up.

[Swordsman]

Krasala rolled her eyes. "This kingdom. And we do not have time for these jokes."

[Moonitic]

"Who's joking?!" Moon exclaimed, throwing her arms up. "I'm at a total loss at this point. If you were trying to take control of the kingdom...this kingdom...you'd have to go through me! I'm in charge."

[Swordsman]

"No," Krasala corrected, "you're supposed to be in charge. But you aren't because you went on a sudden trip, and since returning have done nothing but eat and take a bath."

[Moonitic]

"How was I supposed to know the kingdom would be invaded? Or that I'd even be put in charge?" Moon huffed, then she added with her arms crossed, "Besides, it was suggested that I go eat & get cleaned up first!"

[Swordsman]

"How about this?" Krasala was growing visibly impatient. "Just tell me where the throne room, Zelda's bedroom, and her office are." She caught sight of Slade out of the corner of her eye. "Why don't you make yourself useful and get everybody else?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

[Moonitic]

"Fine. Follow me," Moon returned, then headed out into the lead. First stop, since it was closest, Zelda's rooms.

[Zelda]

BUGGER I forgot to lock them!

[Moonitic]

Moon & Krasala bickered back and forth as they made their way to Zelda's room with Slade, Ken-Dall and Tæbryn close behind. The door was closed, a good sign. "I guess knocking would be useless," Moon said. "No one's there." She grasped the handle & pushed, expecting it to be locked. When it gave under her weight, she gasped & began to fall forward.

Krasala caught her arm. "I told you that you should have let us handle this."

Moon glared at her and began to open her mouth to say something when a poison laced voice said, "Lady Moon of the Quill...how good of you to come." The party in the doorway turned their collective attention to the ancient bodies of the Von Schmects, who smirked at them from Zelda's chairs.

"Baron & Baroness Von Schmect," Moon growled. She took a step into the room, shadowed by Krasala. Slade held back, weapon already in hand. "That would be Queen Buffy of Muu now."

The Baroness made a haughty "harump!" while the Baron chuckled. "And that would be King and Queen of Arconia now, my dear little scribe. Unless you can tell us where King Arcon is?"

The name caused Moon to falter. Krasala looked as though she were ready to pounce any moment, but the new Muuvian queen held up a hand and gave her a look meant to hold her off. "I..." Moon began. The Baron & Baroness leaned forward, their joints creaking. Wicked smiles grew. "He's around here somewhere," Moon finished.

"We've heard he is gone, as is his darling wife Zelda," the Baron stated.

"Oh! No...Zelda went on an expedition. Arcon merely took a day trip. He should be returning soon," Moon lied. She heard someone clear her throat, and continued. "In their absence, I have been put in the position to watch over the kingdom. If you have a message, I can give it to them. In the meantime, I must ask you to remove yourselves from Queen Zelda's room." She never was a good actress, and hoped that they would believe her story.

Baron Von Schmect licked his lips. "No. We will wait right here."

[Swordsman]

"Moon," Krasala asked from behind her, "there aren't any back exits from this room, are there?"

The Baron's eyebrows raised, resembling two hairy caterpillars pushed in the middle. Something resembling concern crossed his face.

"No..." Moon answered, the question implicit in her response.

"Very well. Since the two of you are obviously the new rulers of Arconia, then it is you who will be effected by the news my brother and I bring."

She waited until the Baroness prompted her, "Continue..."

"In light of the recent disappearance of the king and the departure of the queen, along with her expressed desire to be relieved of the responsibilities, and his own current abscence, the Swordsman has ordered that the Strike Force Aiovus, currently under the command of myself and my brother Slade, take control of the kingdom by whatever means necessary."

[Moonitic]

"...by whatever means necessary."

Now, why did Moon find that so familiar? Of course...Nækos. That meant things were about to get ugly. Very ugly. Even though she absolutely hated the Von Schmects, she saw no point in killing a pair that would be dead by natural means at any moment. She turned to Krasala. "Now, wait a minute..." Moon said softly, "Zelda, you know The Queen, has placed me in the position of authority. You were there. Surely you heard that."

[Swordsman]

Krasala nodded patiently. "Yes, I heard that. But I am guessing that these two did not come without armed escort, if they are sitting here right now. And so, frankly, I believe they are successful in their vie for power. So we have removed it from them. Not that it really makes a difference; were you still in power, then it would be you from whom we took control."

[Moonitic]

"It would have been nice if I had been informed of this a little sooner," Moon grumbled.

[Crin Dalmeiier]

Completely unaware that a goodly portion of the castle's population was involved in a struggle for the throne, the gypsies quickly adjusted to living in the east wing and to training any willing residents of the castle in archery. Gypsies were known around the world for their deadliness with a bow, and they were rapidly arming and training the citizens of Arconia with the same art.

The first day, after the mob outside the Bitter End, did not bode well for the gypsies. However, Ame, Shela, and Mitch, the most personable of the lot, had began sweet-talking citizens, at first one-by-one and then in larger groups, to come to the training sessions on the tournament grounds. At first there were communication problems, but the gypsies were versatile and almost like sponges when it came to languages. Most of them were speaking Arconian well-enough to teach by the end of the first week of their stay in Arconia, by the time that Falcour, Talmour, Mitch, and Crin had returned, and Talmour, Ame, Falcour, and Crin had left to go after dragons.

Shela, Baj, and Gutern, the medics, began teaching willing subjects all about battle medicine, and plaguing the castle's infirmary wing to start producing more medicines and other remedies for the upcoming war. Even with their communication issues, the gypsies were slowly convincing people that there was something, and that preparation was vital.

On the day that her brothers, Ame, and Crin departed to find the dragons, Shela took a small group of Arconians and gypsies into the forest near the Swordsman's cottage (although they had no way of knowing this) to forage for herbs for numbing salves. Her leg was mostly healed, although she would always have a crescent-shaped scar on one calf.

"No--don't touch that," she warned one of the youth that traveled with the party, who had been reaching for a star-shaped leaf. "Not unless you want to be itching for the next two weeks."

The youth looked at her with wide eyes and promptly drew his hand back.

"Why are we doing this now?" one of the women asked in simplistic Russic. To prepare citizens for the upcoming war, the gypsies had been teaching their native language to anybody willing to learn (granted, the number was pitiful at the moment, but they were slowly getting through). "Shouldn't we be creating weapons or something?"

"Weapons are of little use to the injured," Shela told her. "People will be injured, and we will be grateful that we have these supplies soon."

Yes, she thought with a frown, the gypsies were getting through, but why hadn't the people been warned that something was coming? Where was the king? And why did Falcour have to go chasing dreams of dragons when there was work to be done here?

She sighed to herself and went to warn a group away from the star-shaped leaves that had nearly caused problems earlier.

[Moonitic]

Moon woke, not in her bed, but on a cold, gray slab. All around her, cold, grey stones. Dark...dank. Small windows let in shards of light. Candles flickered in the lonely breeze. She attempted to prop herself up on her elbows, but found her arms chained above her head. With rising panic, she realized that shackles surrounded her bare ankles, but her legs were not stretched out. Instead, they were drawn up. Heat radiated from her face. In this prone position, she wore nothing but a shift that strained against her swollen middle. The baby moved inside her, & a squeezing pain brought tears to her eyes. She bit down on a scream. It wasn't safe to scream. But another one came...then, not long after, another. Her back arched & she fought to move, but she could not. Instead, she allowed a quiet cry.

A horribly disfigured hag ambled up to her. She placed one gnarled hand on Moon's sweat slicked forehead, and another on her stomach. "Very soon, dearie..." the hag commented with ancient glee. "Very soon indeed."

A robed figure appeared on Moon's other side, all in black. She could not see his face, but heard what sounded like a man's voice. "It is almost time. We must prepare for the sacrifice."

"What to do with this one, then?" the hag asked over the queen.

"We will find a use for her. The men may use her for sport, if they wish." A white hand came from within the folds of the robe & rested on her stomach. "She is fruitful. We could breed her."

Moon stared from one to the other, eyes as wide as they possibly could go. Sacrifice? Breeding? She could hardly make sense of it. Then, another pain hit, squeezing the breath out of her. Just as it subsided, it happened again & again. The two above her laughed. One, in delight. The other, in pure malice. "Make way!" the hag cheered, "Our sacrifice is come!"

With that, Moon found her breath at last. "NOOOOO!" she shrieked. "Meekal! Nækos! HELP!" She struggled violently, to no avail.

"There is no one to help you now, Highness. You're all alone."

In her own bed, in her own chamber, Lady Moon of the Quill, Queen Buffy of Muu, woke, shaking, from her own screams.

[Swordsman]

And then screamed once more as the door to her bedroom exploded in on its hinges, followed closely by Slade, Ozz, three more members of the Strike Force, and Tæbryn, weapons out and at the ready.

[Moonitic]

"It's...coming...they'll...kill..." Moon barely managed to breathe from her bed. She didn't really see who entered then, just that they were armed & that they looked, to her waking mind, angry. "No! Get away! Someone, help!" she screamed again, tucking herself into a ball. She thought she saw one take a step toward her, & then she realized that her weapon lay on the other side of her bed. She snatched it from the floor & jumped to a standing position on her bed, brandishing her sword. "You'll never take me, you fiends!"