Quest for Tellurine

[Lord Tellurine]

The forest grew darker and thicker as they rode. Off in the distance an animal howled. Lord Tellurine shifted his weight uneasily. He was not one to voluntarily come in close contact with... nature, unless it was served to him on a silver plate, with roasted potatoes, and a nice pudding for dessert. His stomach growled. Two days and a night hiding withn the bowels of the Arconian castle had been hungry work for a lord who was used to being waited on by loyal, although underpaid, servants. Another howl shattered the silence of the woods. He muttered, "I suppose this gag isn't needed anymore." He pulled the scarf from around Lady Moon's head and out of her mouth.

She gagged for a moment and said, "You're a coward."

"I am not a coward."

"Could of fooled me. You're trembling where you sit. The forest scares you. It's full of things that want to eat you... Kill you."

"Enough!" he shouted. Hayfever sneezed. "You too, stupid horse." They rode for a minute. "When we return to Muu I will be a hero. My king will reward me. I wouldn't be surprised if a statue is carved in my likeness for the main square."

"I doubt that. They would need an awfully thick stone for your thick head."

"You forget, Lady Moon," he began, emphasizing the word Lady, "this thick head of mine out-smarted you."

"That's true," relented Lady Moon, her shoulder brushed by a low tree limb, "but there was one thing I did not understand. What was in the large pouch you were carrying earlier?"

"That part is the best part." he sniggered. "In that pouch was the ingredients to a powerful potion. A sleeping potion. You got a little bit of it in that gray ball." He paused before continuing. "This potion is much more powerful. It can put the whole castle asleep. And a sleepy castle is an easily taken castle. Placed in a strategic spot, where the air vents to the upper floors all converge, this potion will render the castle defenders unable to keep their eyelids open, let alone carry a sword." Hayfever sneezed again. Twice. "Damn stupid horse." They rode into a clearing and above the trees in front of them a thin wisp of smoke glinted in the moonlight. "We're almost there," he said, with a hint of relief.

Lady Moon, who was far from relieved, asked, "So right now everyone in the castle is asleep?"

"No, no," refuted Lord Tellurine. "Putting the castle asleep now would be futile. It only lasts a few hours, never enough time for the soldiers of Muu to attack. The potion is activated by a timer. A timer that is set to go off in one week's time. Plenty of time for me to tell my plot to the King of Muu and for him to mount the attack."

A sinking feeling engulfed Lady Moon as they approached a small bulding that had a sign over the door that said: "Innn." Underneath that it read: "The extra 'n' is for No shoes No shirt No service."

Hayfever stopped and Lord Tellurine dis-mounted. He untied Lady Moon's hands and quickly brandished his dagger. "No funny business."

Lady Moon rubbed her sore wrists and hopped down from Hayfever. She was pushed towards the door and she opened it.

The innards of the inn consisted of a creaky stairwell that led upstairs, a few round tables with chairs, a slowly burning fire in the fireplace, and a long bar along the back wall. The walls were decorated with the heads of animals killed in the forest surrounding the building. Their dead, unmoving eyes followed Lord Tellurine and Lady Moon across the room till they stopped at the bar.

Lord Tellurine rang a bell on the bar and a fat, greasy woman popped up suddenly from behind it. "What?" She growled in a perturbed voice.

Lord Tellurine smiled weakly. "My servant made reservations for me. I am Lord Tellurine of Muu. I believe the reservation was made with..." He pulled out a scrap of parchment. "... Mr. Frederick Dayye."

"He's dead," offered the fat woman.

A concerned look came over Lord Tellurine's face. "But this was his inn, right?"

"Yeah. He was my husband. I run this inn now. I'm Holly Dayye and this is the Holly Dayye Inn."

Lady Moon looked over to the fireplace. "And look. They left a light on for us." Lord Tellurine glared at her.

Holly Daye gave Lord Tellurine a key. "Up the stairs first door on the left. Breakfast is at seven." She looked them over for a minute, noticing the dagger he held close to his partner and the rope burns she had on her wrists. "And we don't like any of that kinky stuff going on here either."

"Niether do I." smiled Lady Moon.

"Good night," sneered Lord Tellurine and they went up to their room.

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-18-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-18-2001).]

[arcon]

"JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT ,THEY PULL ME BACK IN"

GEORGE WASHINGTON GO INTO THE EDIT MODE AND REMOVE YOUR STORY ABOUT MOON. ALL OF IT! IF YOU DONT ILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO SEE THAT YOUR NAME BECOMES MUD IN THIS PART OF THE WEBSITE. IM NOT THE WEBMASTER BUT THE FIRST THING I WILL DO IS TO GO DIRECTLY TO CRAIG AND SEE IF HE WILL DO IT IF YOU DONT. IF YOU WANT ANY KIND OF RECOGNITION HERE. IF YOU DONT WANT THE REST OF YOUR INPUT TOTALLY IGNORED THEN YOU DO IT AND YOU DO IT ...NOW!
IT BETTER NOT BE HERE WHEN I GET BACK.

THIS ARCON HAS SPOKEN

I DONT BELIEVE CRAIG WANTS THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR PROMOTED ON THIS SITE.(EVEN IN FANTASY) MY GOD MAN !WE HAVE VERY YOUNG KIDS ON THIS SITE.

ARCON

[This message has been edited by arcon (edited 07-18-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

Morning sun penetrated the flimsy, shredded curtains of the Holly Dayye Inn. The sun hit the eyes of the sleeping Lord Tellurine as he sat under a blanket on a chair by the window. On the other side of him, tied to the bed, was the sleeping body of the Lady Moon. He awoke with a snort and blinked furiously to rid his eyes of sleep. He threw off the blanket and turned to sleeping prisoner. "Get up!" he bellowed in a groggy voice.

Lady Moon's eyes opened and she yawned slightly. "You have the bedside manner of an ox."

"What?" he grumbled, still half awake.

"And the morning breath of one."

Lord Tellurine couldn't argue with her there. It was widely known in Muu that his morning breath was not only lethal, but often stuck around till mid-afternoon on some days. "Shut up."

Breakfast downstairs was served by Holly Dayye herself, as there didn't seem to be any employees of the inn. Breakfast was a chunk of un-moldy bread and two slices of un-greasy bacon, served on a moldy, greasy copper plate. Lady Moon looked down at the offering with distaste. Lord Tellurine dug right in.

Holly Dayye stoked the fire and asked, "How did you find your room?"

Lady Moon answered, "Up the stairs, first door on the left. Just like you told us." Lord Tellurine glared at her, his mouth full of bread.

"Right," said Holly and she excused herself to the kitchen.

Lord Tellurine gulped down his bread and snarled, "You won't be making jokes later today when I bring you in front of the King of Muu."

"I don't know," disagreed Lady Moon. "I oftend make jokes during times of stress."

"You will show the King of Muu the respect he deserves."

"In that case," she smiled, "I WILL make jokes. You ever hear the one about the Arconia Coach depot?"

"Shut up," he said delibrately, finishing off his bacon. He rose from the table. "Let's go."

Lady Moon joined him at the bar as Lord Tellurine rang the bell. "What is it?" cried out Holly Dayye and she entered through the kitchen door.

"I'd like to settle my account."

"Right. Will that be cash, credit, or will you running me through with your sword?"

"Running you through with his sword?" repeated Lady Moon.

"Yeah," said Holly Dayye. "How do you think my husband died?"

Lady Moon murmurred, "I would have guess your cooking."

"Actually," stated Lord Tellurine. "You can put this on the King of Muu's account."

"Oh," said Holly, writing in a large book in front of her. "No sale then. Thank you for staying. Next time you're riding past... do so." She turned with a huff and re-entered the kitchen. A pot was slammed.

Lord Tellurine and Lady Moon re-mounted Hayfever. Her hands were once again tied together. "Giddyup," ordered Tellurine. They began riding towards the east. Towards the Kigdom of Muu. A half of a day's ride. The horse sneezed. "Stupid horse."

[George Washington]

Originally posted by arcon:
"JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT ,THEY PULL ME BACK IN"

GEORGE WASHINGTON GO INTO THE EDIT MODE AND REMOVE YOUR STORY ABOUT MOON. ALL OF IT! IF YOU DONT ILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO SEE THAT YOUR NAME BECOMES MUD IN THIS PART OF THE WEBSITE. IM NOT THE WEBMASTER BUT THE FIRST THING I WILL DO IS TO GO DIRECTLY TO CRAIG AND SEE IF HE WILL DO IT IF YOU DONT. IF YOU WANT ANY KIND OF RECOGNITION HERE. IF YOU DONT WANT THE REST OF YOUR INPUT TOTALLY IGNORED THEN YOU DO IT AND YOU DO IT ...NOW!
IT BETTER NOT BE HERE WHEN I GET BACK.

THIS ARCON HAS SPOKEN

I DONT BELIEVE CRAIG WANTS THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR PROMOTED ON THIS SITE.(EVEN IN FANTASY) MY GOD MAN !WE HAVE VERY YOUNG KIDS ON THIS SITE.

ARCON

[This message has been edited by arcon (edited 07-18-2001).]

------------------------------------
Dear Arcon,

You are so sexy when you type all in big letters. If you weren't a Fantasy Nazi I would care what you have to say. I don't know Craig, but I'm sure that he's an ok guy who runs a decent fencing site, but the way that you talk about him really gives me the Heebey-Jeebies.

For Arcon's next trick he will "Tell Mom".

I will not take down my post, and I don't think that it will be taken down. I am guessing that you have really hung yourself out to dry here with your manly ultimatiums.
----------------------
"Thus if the First Amendment means anything in this field, it must allow protests even against the moral code that the standard of the day sets for the community. In other words, literature should not be suppressed merely because it offends the moral code of the censor."
William O. Douglas

[Moonitic]

ok...stop. Just stop. Arcon was angry (rightly so) for what was said about me. He & I have known each other for a while, & when friends are close they tend to become defensive for one another (an example would be my lashing out during an attack on Arcon).

Everyone has bad days, both online & off. But the good thing is, we can start over. So let's do that, okay? G.W., you're a good writer. It's good to see you writing instead of insulting. How about if we all work on that, huh? Just writing because we're doing what we like to do.

------------------
Lady Moon of the Quill

[George Washington]

My dear Mooney

I appreciate your conciliatory efforts, and your seemingly missplaced at flattery. Unfortunatly, I am still a "man on a mission" and must keep rolling.

Arcon may have been angry (giggles) but he had no right to yell at me like that. :-(
---------------

"Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice."
Holbrook Jackson

[This message has been edited by George Washington (edited 07-18-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

The royal reception chamber of the King of Muu was resplendent in the Muu royal colors of salmon and something that was kinda of green, but not. Flags of conquered nations hung from the ceiling and portraits of the Muu royal family adorned the walls each flanked by tapestry that declared the names of royalty and heroes past. The King of Muu, a large-built man with a thick black beard sat in his throne. To his right was the empty seat of the Queen of Muu, who was more interested in shopping then ruling.

There was a flourish of activity just outside the room, an occurrence that did not go un-noticed by the King. There were voices. One was very self-congratulatory, boasting about sneeking into the Arconian Castle, the other was perturbed and maybe a bit scared and somewhere in all that the King heard a horse sneeze.

The door opened and the royal page announced, "Lord Tellurine and prisoner Lady Moon of the Quill." Lord Tellurine entered with a flourish of his cape. He was brimming with a smile not often seen on the lord. Beside him was a girl, almost familiar to the King of Muu.

Lord Tellurine stopped in front of his king and bowed majestically. The girl did not. "Your Majesty," he began, "I come from Arconia bearing news and gifts."

The King of Muu sat silently. His left eyebrow lifted slightly. His deep bass voice growled, "What news?"

"The Arconian Castle is ripe for the taking, your Majesty. With the help of the great wizard Oddeldiah a potion has been made and set to go off in one week's time. It is located deep in the cavernous dungeons of the castle where it will poison the air with a sleeping potion that will render the castle defenses useless!" Lord Tellurine could hardly control his glee. "All you have to do is time your attack just right and you will be victorious!"

The King was once again silent. If there was a smile growing under his thick facial hair, no one would know. "Good work," he finally said, "Lord Tellurine. And the gift?"

Lord Tellurine's look of glee turned to to pride. "May I present Lady Moon of the Quill."

"Who the Hell is that?"

"You might know her better as Princess Buffy of Schoolcraftia."

"YOU!" boomed the King, pointing an accusing finger at Lady Moon. "You made me a laughing stock! Nobody refuses to marry a Prince of Muu!"

Lady Moon answered back, "Well, the prince wasn't so hot on the idea either."

"The prince," stated the King coldly, "was a bigger fool then you. His fate will be far worse then yours. He will die."

Lady Moon's eyes peered into the eyes of the King of Muu. "And what fate is mine?" she asked.

The King of Muu smiled, and this time it was obvious. "Son!" he bellowed. From a room located behind the throne came an idiot of a man. If it weren't for the regal clothes and the crown he wore slightly lopsided on his head, you'd think he was a common pig farmer, or worse... A lawyer. "Princess Buffy of Schoolcraftia meet your new husband... Meekal the Daft."

"Noooooooooooooo!"

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-18-2001).]

[Moonitic]

Noooooooo is right! I wanna die! I wanna die! AAAAGGGGHHHH!

[This message has been edited by Moonitic (edited 07-18-2001).]

[martha washington]

george, as your spouce, i feel i know best what is wrong with you, you just need a little prune juice, after that you'll feel better. that's a promise.

[George Washington]

Great,

Just what this place needs, one more whiny old woman.

Before long you will probably be licking arcon just like the rest of these loosers.

Sorry guys but I'm going to have to get my woman under control. I'm not old, but I'm certainly old-school. Women in the kitchen and children seen and not heard.

Lick my filthy arcon

[Foil Girl]

GW, that's jsut plain sick. God, I'm only 14 and I know there are kids younger than me on this board. You are sick, perverted, and have no right to write that sort of stuff about people. You also have no right to provoke or make fun of arcon. He has never done anything wrong, all he's done is play a character in a story. That of which you yourself have done as well, though it was disgusting and wrong. Noone (Moon, arcon, or anybody) should have to put up with the kind of stuff you have been doing. So why don't you either shut up and do everyone a favor, or else just write a story, not pornography. Alright? Enough said.

------------------
-Foil Girl
"Nadie nace sabiendo"

[martha washington]

where should he start? the dirt goes top to bottom, it'll take all day, arcon! pass me the SCRUB-BRUSH! I'll go run the shower, that's probably it.....he needs a good hot shower!

[Lord Tellurine]

The early evening sky gave no comfort for the Lady Moon. Her view from the tower room she was locked in was magnificent. She could see the sun setting over the forest she rode through earlier that day. Somewhere past that, what she couldn't see, was Arconia. She sighed sullenly and returned to sitting on the edge of the bed, where she had been since the Royal Guards of Muu escorted her to the room soon after her arrival. Lord Tellurine was taken off to meet with the King's generals to plan an attack. The fate of Arconia was one of doom and her fate was no better. She was to marry Meekal the Daft, allowing the King of Muu to unite with Schoolcraftia. Lord Tellurine had handed the King of Muu two nations. Perhaps she should give him more credit then she had. She thought about it a second. "Nah," she said aloud.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "May I come in?" came a voice.

Lady Moon wondered to herself if she had a choice in the matter. "Sure. Whatever."

In walked the fool himself, Meekal the Daft. He closed the door behind him. "Hi," he said, his eyes averting from meeting the Lady Moon's.

Lady Moon sighed again. "Hi, Meekal."

He continued to stand by the door he had just entered, his eyes scanning the floor of the room. "Hi," he said again.

"I think we've covered that."

"I've come up to see you," he stated.

"I know," agreed the Lady Moon.

"I know we're not supposed to see each other before we got married, but I wanted to see you again."

"I don't think it really counts until the day of wedding." She glanced momentarily out the window at the setting sun. "And from what I've heard that'll be a couple of weeks." There was an uneasy silence. "Listen, Meekal, can I tell you something?"

He nodded his head, but his eyes stayed transfixed on the floor.

"I don't want to marry you," she said, as if it were a revelation.

"I know. ...I don't want to marry you." That was a revelation.

"What!?!" Lady Moon asked, standing. Meekal inched backwards, away from her, his back now against the door. "What do you mean you don't want to marry me?!?" She composed herself. "I mean, you don't want to be married?"

"No. I don't want a wife. I collect stones. I walk all over and collect stones. I have a great collection. I don't have time for a wife."

"Yeah," intoned Lady Moon slowly. "Have you told your Dad that?"

"No. He won't listen to me. He never listens to me. I'm going to run away. He never listens to what I say. Never."

Lady Moon's eyes were bulging in disbelief. "Did you just say you were going to run away?"

"You don't listen to me either." There was a hint of saddness in his voice.

For the first time Lady Moon no longer saw an idiot prince, but instead a mis-understood young man, who didn't belong in the role he was told to play. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was listening. I, I just didn't believe my ears. You really want to run away?"

"More than anything." Saddeness overcame him again. "I don't know how though."

A smile spread across the Lady Moon's face. Hope was filling her spirit for the first time in days. "Meekal," she asked carefully, although she didn't know if was because she didn't want to blow this one chance to save herself and Arconia or just so she knew he would understand what she was saying, "how would you like for me to help you run away?"

For the first time he raised his head and his eyes met hers. "You would help me? You would help me to leave?"

"Yes, Meekal. Yes."

"And my stone collection. I can't leave my stone collection."

"Uh... That might be a problem. They would likely slow us down."

"Oh." He thought a moment. "Okay," he relented. "How do I escape?"

"How do WE escape, Meekal. How do WE escape?"

The sun had fallen below the horizon and the stars began to appear in the sky. The moon was especially bright that night.

[Moonitic]

As a side note, while I sat on that bed, I couldn't help but think the following:

"Marrying Angelo wouldn't have been so bad. If I would have just done the good little princess thing, none of this would have happened. Now I'd suffer a fate worse than being forced to listen to the Redfordia Union Dramatic Minstrels play (inside joke). Of course, I wouldn't have become a knight, or met the people that I had."

[Lord Tellurine]

A night and a day had passed. Another night was beginning. By this time the Lady Moon had memorized every stone in the tower she was held captive in. Each passing moment was another moment closer to the end of Arconia. Every noise she heard on the other side of her door her heart would leap, thinking it was Meekal, there to save her.

Meekal. Prince of Muu. Meekal the Daft. The more she thought about who her savior was, the more she lost hope. The plan was simple enough. Maybe not for him though, she pondered. He was to request a walk in the royal garden with his soon-to-be-wife. A chance to "get to know her better" before the wedding. They would make a run for it and hide in the woods, not taking a direct route to Arconia (they would expect that), but zig-zag their way through, hopefully reaching the castle in time to dis-arm the sleeping potion.

But Meekal hadn't come for her yet. She had given him things to do before they could attempt their escape. For one thing, Lady Moon needed a weapon and she told Meekal to find her one. The best one he could find, preferably her own sword. She had also asked him to find out where the wizard Oddeldiah lived. He was the wizard who gave Lord Tellurine the sleeping potion. Whether or not the wizard was working specifically for the Muu or just making a blind transaction with Lord Tellurine she did not know, but either he or his spell books would tell her how to dis-arm it. The last thing was probably the most difficult. He was to find out the Muu attack plan on Arconia. Such a delicate act of counter-intelligence would be difficult for any man, let alone a moronic prince like Meekal. She had hesitated before giving that assignment, but he seemed so eager, and she was caught up in the moment...

She was doomed. She could sense it. He probably did something stupid like ask his father what the best way was to spy. I bet he's been locked up in the dungeon on charges of treason, she thought to herself. And I'm going to rot away in this tower.

She walked over to the window and looked out. There were dark clouds in the sky. A storm was looming. Off in the distance she heard a horse sneeze.

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-19-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-20-2001).]

[Moonitic]

"Wilt no one save me?" Lady Moon thought (I always wanted to use that line). Then she remembered...no one knew where she was. For all they could figure, she was still hunting Lord Tellurine in the depths of the castle at Arconia.

Lord Tellurine. He'd get his soon enough.

[Lord Tellurine]

Lord Tellurine took another sip of the fine brandy he was having for an after dinner drink and placed the silver cup back down on the intricately-crafted oak table that sat in front of him. Covering the table were plans for the attack on Arconia. He picked one parchment up and studied it carefully, as if he knew anything about battle plans. He smiled broadly, proud of himself.

His entire scheme to bring honor to his name was working splendidly. He had captured an enemy of the King of Muu, who would be forced to marry the his son, joining their kingdoms together and he had sabatoged an enemy's castle, making it possible to take control of that kingdom also. He had been given riches, fabulous feasts, and a large room in the castle overlooking the garden. The only unexpected turn came when the King of Muu insisted that Lord Tellurine himself lead the attack.

He tried to explain, "I am not a knight."

The King of Muu replied back, "You'll either be a knight or it'll be 'nights out' for you."

Then they each had a good laugh and another bottle of brandy.

Lord Tellurine put down the parchment and took another sip. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and it startled him so that he dribbled a little brandy down his chin. "Dammit!" he exclaimed loudy.

"No," came a voice from the other side of the door. "Meekal."

Lord Tellurine stopped dabbing at his chin. Meekal? What would the Prince of Muu want here? Probably checking up on me, thought the lord. Probably under his father orders. Better put on the old Lord Tellurine charm.

"I'm still out here," came Meekal's voice.

"Come in, your higness. Come in."

Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu entered the Lord's chamber. "Good evening, Lord Tellurine," he greeted politely.

"Good evening, Prince. How nice it is to see you. Please, sit." Lord Tellurine made a sweeping motion towards a chair by the fireplace. Meekal sat and the lord asked, with a gulp, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Now Meekal was no dummy... well, actually he was, but still.. he immediatly noticed how obsequious the lord was being to him. This level of bootlicking was usually only given to his father. He decided to take advantage of it. "Have you made your plans for the attack yet?" he asked in a bold voice he almost didn't recognize as his own.

"Yes, your highness," replied Lord Tellurine, bowing slightly. "If I may?" He picked up a large map and held it out in front of the prince. "This is a map of the land surrounding the Arconian castle. We will be entering through a hole in the wall I found near a large rose bush in the castle garden." He pointed to a spot on the map. "The potion is set to go off at noon on Tuesday. We will attack soon after that, once we're certain that everyone inside is asleep."

"Ah, the potion," began Meekal. "You got that from a wizard?"

"The Wizard Oddeldiah. Yes. Turns out he has a deep hatred for Arconia."

"Why is that?"

The Lord paused. "Well, it's nothing that Arconia has done really... It's just that his brother lives in Arconia and he can't stand a kingdom that his brother would live in."

"Oddeldiah the Wizard has a brother living in Arconia? Is he a wizard?"

"I believe so, yes. Not a very good one, according to Oddlediah. Kept calling him, 'my idiot brother!' Of course that could just be brotherly jealousy." The Lord thought a moment and then leaned against his desk. "I'm sure if I had a brother he would be jealous of me."

"Yes," agreed Meekal. "I'm sure. ...Um, what is his brother's name?"

"Oddeldiah's brother's name..." Lord Tellurine thought for a moment. "Oh! I remember. Oddeldoodle."

"Oddeldoodle?" repeated Meekal, thinking he hadn't heard right.

"Yes. Oddeldoodle," confirmed Lord Tellurine. He chuckled slightly. "Of course if you ask me, they're both just 'odd'. Hehe Hehe." He noticed Meekal wasn't laughing so he stopped.

Prince Meekal was still trying to understand the joke when his eyes flashed to something leaning up against the table next to Lord Tellurine. It was a sword. "Is that yours?" he asked.

Lord Tellurine looked down. "What? That hunk of junk? No. I took that from the Lady Moon. Fairly easy to dis-arm her, if I do say for myself."

"I'm sure you would," Meekal replied looking hungrily at it. He eyes moved up and met Lord Tellurine's. "Um... May I have it?"

"What's that?"

"May I have the sword?"

"Well, I was going to sell it... I mean, certainly, your highness." He picked it up and gave it to the prince who was standing.

"Thank you, Lord Tellurine," said Meekal taking the sword from him. "If you'll excuse me. I have to go for a walk." Meekal crossed over to the door and opened it.

Lord Tellurine bowed and said, "The pleasure was all m-." The door was closed. "Go for a walk? At this time of night? What an idiot."

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-20-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

It was a warm summer day in Arconia. The sky was a magnificient blue, dotted with the occassional white fluffy cloud. Lady Moon was in the middle of a large field. Bright green grass surrounded her like a giant blanket covering the Earth. She could smell the fresh summer air. It was warm, fresh, and delightfully fragrant. Birds chirped in the distance.

Then there were storm clouds. The sky turned black. The birds stopped chirping. The grass whithered and died. An evil laugh filled the air around her. It was familiar and haunting to her. She ran in every and any direction she could, but the laughter grew louder and more menacing. Someone was after her, but where was he? She couldn't fight what she couldn't see. It was getting closer ... closer...

"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"

The Lady Moon sat up in her prison tower bed. The night sky outside her window was calm and filled with stars. It was just a bad dream. Relief swept over her. She laid back down.

"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"

She sat back up. Someone was knocking at the door. "Who is it?" she asked getting out of bed.

"Meekal," came back the reply.

"Meekal!" screeched Lady Moon excitedly. "Come in!"

Meekal opened the door and entered. He was wearing traveling clothes and had a large sack slung over his shoulder. He closed the door behind him and swung the sack down onto the floor. It hit with a loud thud.

"Shhh!" Lady Moon said to Meekal.

"Shhh!" Meekal said to the sack.

"Where have you been?!?" asked Lady Moon.

"Getting ready to leave."

"Well it took you long enough," scolded Lady Moon. She saw the hurt look on Meekal's face and softened her tone. "Did you do all things I told you to do?"

"Yep."

"You found out the battle plans?"

"Yep. I asked Lord Tellurine. He told me."

"Lord Tellurine... what a fool," laughed Lady Moon. "You find out about the wizard?"

"Yeah. He hates Arconia, but he has a brother, who's a wizard, who lives there!"

"Excellent!" exclaimed Lady Moon joyfully. "Where did you pick up that bit of info?"

"Lord Tellurine," replied Meekal proudly.

The Lady Moon got a sinking feeling. "You asked Lord Tellurine about the battle plans AND about the wizard who supplied him with the potion?"

"And I got this!" Meekal pulled out Lady Moon's sword.

"My sword!" she cried with glee. "Where did you get it?"

"From Lord-"

"Tellurine," finished Lady Moon, no longer with glee. "Let me get this straight... You went to Lord Tellurine and asked him about the battle plans, asked him about the wizard who made the potion, and got my sword from him." She paused to let it sink in. "Let's hope he's a bigger moron than you."

"Yes," agreed Meekal. "Let's."

"Just one other thing, Meekal," said Lady Moon. "The plan was that you were to take me for a walk in the garden. What kind of idiot goes for a walk in the garden in the middle of the night?"

Meekal didn't have to say anything.

"Right. You would. Let's go."

[Fencing Angel]

as angelo searched the castle dispare fell apon him and down to the depths of his soul. worried that he wouldn't find the lord Tellurine and the lady moonitic.. he didn't stop looking though. dertermanation was a very strong motive. and like his father he was extreamly stubberan. his father ... why didn't he think of that before.. he had heard rumors about the fact the Lord Tellurine was from Muu..

He started to make his way to the stable near the edge of town. when he got there he saw that no one was there.. good, less questions to answer. but he didn't look in all the stalls.. he walked to the wall where the sadles were, and picked it off the wall and turned around. only to find Serana, his squire.

"ahh.. don't scare me like that.. so whats up??"

"i think that i should be asking you that question..."

"good point. well... to make a long story short.. i had a thought.. you have heard all the rumors about Lord Tellurine Being from Muu?? well i am sadleing up this right now and i am rideing to Muu."

Serana just stood there looking puzzeled...

"so let me get this stright... you ran away from home to keep from having to marry a stranger, who really turned out to be lady moon, and now you think this Lord Latrine, or whatever. is someone from Muu, your home country. did i mess anything??"

"well no... and you got everthing right. down to the letter."

"cool.. when do we leave??"

"First thing.. only i am going.. and second of all you are not going to tell anyone about this.. especily the queen."

(giggle)"alright... i won't tell anyone. but i am going to go with you.. and your not going to win this one.. no matter how hard you try."

(sigh)"fine then.... be ready in twenty minutes. and meet at the cottage. got it?"

"twenty minutes at the cottage. right oh."

With that she ran off to ready for the jounery. twenty minutes later they met at the cottage in the clearing and started off into the night... Angelo noticed that the moon was espectily bright tonight.

[Lord Tellurine]

The sun streaming through the trees onto the forest floor gave the forest a serene calm look. A squirrel scurried up a tree. A robin was feeding its young. Lady Moon and Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu were resting along the side of a stream.

The night before had been a hectic one. They had made it through the castle to the garden just fine. Any guards they came across, Meekal merely told them he was going for a walk in the garden with his new wife. None of them thought it strange that it was the middle of the night. Nor did they think it was strange he was carrying a large sack. He often carried his stone collection around with him.

It was this sack, though, that became a problem. While going through the garden, Meekal's large sack knocked down a small statue of his father's favorite hunting dog. The crash awoke somebody in a castle room who's window overlooked the garden. It was Lord Tellurine.

"What's going on down there?" he called from his window. He searched the garden and saw the prince and Lady Moon. "What are you doing?"

"Going for a walk," stated the prince.

"I can see that," replied Lord Tellurine. "What is she doing out of her tower room?"

"She's walking with me," answered Meekal.

Lord Tellurine thought for a moment. "I don't think that's a good idea, Prince Meekal. She can be crafty. Stay there. I'll be right down."

They didn't stay there. They ran. They ran into the forest and it wasn't long after that they heard the alarms of the castle go off.

They avoided capture all night. They walked in circles and re-traced their steps to throw off the search parties. They had been running continuously and this was their first chance to rest.

"I'm tired," complained Meekal.

"No one said runing away would be easy," replied Lady Moon, rubbing one of her sore feet.

"I suppose you're right. But running all night long and carrying this heavy sack..."

"That reminds me," interrupted Lady Moon. "What are you carrying in that sack?"

Meekal didn't answer.

"Meekal? What's in the sack?"

"Um... My favorite stones from my stone collection."

"What?!?" exploded Lady Moon. "Your stones?!? This whole time you've been carrying stones!?! The sack that knocked over the statue alerting everyone of our escape?!? That sack that was too big for us to hide in that old log when we were almost captured a few hours back?!? The sack that has held us back, because it is so heavy?!?"

Meekal looked down at the ground. "Yes."

"How stupid are you, Meekal?!? We don't need to be lugging around heavy stones! Peoples lives are depending on us! OUR lives are depending on us! We can't have a bunch of stupid stones holding us back!!"

"There not stupid!" yelled Meekal. "They're mine! I've collected them!" He paused, sniffed, and said quietly, "They're all I have from home." Meekal broke into tears.

Lady Moon couldn't believe her ears. She stood up and walked over to him. She sat down and put her arm around him. "I'm sorry, Meekal. I guess I'm a little stressed."

He brushed away some tears with his hand and said, "I don't want to hold you back. You can leave me behind."

"Don't be silly. You'd never survive in this forest. I'm going to get you back to Arconia safe and sound." She held out a hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," agreed Meekal and they shook.

Lady Moon stood up and declared, "That's enough resting time. We got a long way to go yet. Let's get a move on. And don't forget your stupid stones."

"Hey!"