Quest for Tellurine

[Foil Girl]

Serana shivered and pulled her cloak closer around her. The wind's night chill kept creeping into the thick cloth. "Angel, I think the horses are getting tired. We probably should rest them."

Angel nodded. "There's a nice place to stop alongside the road here. We can build a fire for ourselves. Maybe get something to eat." He pointed to a row of trees nearby "And we can tether the horses there."

When they reached the spot Serana dismounted, leading her horse to tie him up. An owl hooted loudly, making her horse, Casey, shy slightly. Serana quickly started talking to the horse soothingly, and petting it's neck. Casey eventually calmed down and she left to look for firewood.




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

[Lord Tellurine]

The King of Muu was not happy. The queen could tell. She went shopping. The servants could tell. They avoided him at all costs. Lord Tellurine could tell. He was being yelled at.

"You idiot!" the King of Muu boomed for the twentieth time. His voice echoed throughout the castle. If anyone in the castle didn't know Lord Tellurine was an idiot, they just weren't listening. "I have a messenger on his way to Schoolcraftia telling them there is to be a royal wedding between our familes! For the second time they will ride all the way out here and find that not only did the groom run away, but so did the bride... AGAIN!!!" The King of Muu was sitting in his throne, still wearing his bed clothes. "They're not going to keep coming out here like this. And I'm running out of princes!"

Lord Tellurine hadn't spoken since he first broke the news to the King of Muu about Meekal and Lady Moon escaping together. He instead had been listening to the king rant and belittle him.

"You idiot!" he screamed for the twenty-first time. It was pretty certain anyone in town surrounding the Muu castle knew Lord Tellurine was one by now. "My son and that stupid girl are now on their way to Arconia! Our attack plans are ruined!"

Finally, Lord Tellurine spoke. "Your highness," he said softly, "it is my belief that they are not on the way back to Arconia, or at least not to the castle."

"What? Why do you say that?"

"Well, your son was in my chamber last night asking about the wizard Oddeldiah."

"So? Oddeldiah won't help them. He hates Arconia."

"Yeah... Well, here's the thing... I told Meekal about Oddeldiah's brother, Oddeldoodle, who lives in Arconia."

"You what?!?"

"So I think they are on their way to see him to enlist his help in dis-arming my potion."

"And where does he live?"

"It took some research, but I believe he lives on the Arconian edge of the forest about a days ride south of the Arconian castle."

"Then don't just stand there! I'll give you twenty men. Go after them. Capture them. Attack the sleeping Arconian Castle and return victorious." He paused. "Or don't bother returning."

"I won't let you down, sire." Lord Tellurine bowed and left hurriedly.

"Idiot," sighed the King of Muu, as if anyone didn't know.

[Lord Tellurine]

After a night of running and a day of walking it was time to rest. Lady Moon and Meekal the Daft, the Prince of Muu, made camp in a small clearing, next to some thick bushes. They had something to eat and they sat next to their small fire, wondering what the next day would bring them.

Lady Moon was tending to her sword, knowing she would need it again soon. She looked over to Meekal. He was taking stones out of his sack and talking to each of them.

"Oh, Nigel," he said to an odd-shaped stone, "how are you this evening?" Nigel didn't answer. "Yeah, bit of a bumpy ride for you, I can imagine!"

Lady Moon asked, "What are you doing?"

"Talking to my stones. I talk to them often. They are my friends." He pulled out another stone. "This one is Margaret. She says you're very pretty."

"Heh heh..." laughed Lady Moon half-heartedly. "Thanks, Margaret. If I ever need a paperweight I'll think of you." She set her sword down beside her and stretched out next to it. "Get some sleep. We have to find that wizard's brother tommorrow."

"You mean Oddeldoodle?" asked Meekal.

"What?" asked Lady Moon as she looked up into the sky.

"Oddeldoodle. The wizard who's going to help us."

"Oddeldoodle?" she asked, sitting back up. "The wizard who's going to help us is Oddeldoodle? ...The brother of Oddeldiah, the great wizard of Muu, is Oddeldoodle?"

"Yes," he stated plainly.

"Oh no!" She collapsed next to her sword.

"You've heard of him?" asked Meekal.

Lady Moon kept starting to say something, but stopping, as if she couldn't find the words she wanted. Finally she said, "He's the 'you' of wizarding."

Meekal was confused. "What do you mean?"

"How good of a prince do you think you are?"

Meekal smiled an embarrassed smile. "I'm awful at it."

"Well, Oddeldoodle is awful at being a wizard. My friend Willow once told me of a time he helped a frog prince by turning him back into a prince."

"What so bad about that?"

"He still liked eating flies. And he always smelled kinda swampy. No princess would come near him."

"Oh." The reality finally sank in for Meekal. "We're doomed then."

"Yep," she agreed matter-of-factly. Lady Moon closed her eyes. "Welcome to my world. Good night, Meekal."

"Good night. And bless you."

Lady Moon opened her eyes. "What?"

"I thought I heard you sneeze."

She mumbled, "Maybe is was Nigel." She closed her eyes.

As they both fell into a deep sleep neither of them heard the voice say, "stupid horse."

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-21-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

Searching for a wizard who wasn't well-known, wasn't well-respected, and for what ever reason, wasn't even listed in the Arconian Yellow Pages wasn't an easy task. Lady Moon and Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu had been through two villages and in each nobody knew of Oddeldoodle. Lady Moon was beginning to think that finding the wizard was a lost cause. By her calculations they were about a day's ride south of the Arconian castle. They spent anymore time looking for him and they may not have a chance to warn King Arcon of the impending attack.

Another thing worried her. Muu was after them. Maybe even Lord Tellurine himself. And he had been close. Ater waking that morning she found the hoof prints of about twenty horses only a few hundred feet from their camp. If it weren't for the thick bushes they camped behind, they might be back in Muu right now. Lady Moon had spent most of the morning sulking, believing she had almost failed in her mission and if she had, it would be her fault.

The futile search of two villages had gotten her to sulk less and focus more on the task at hand. They were just about to enter the third village when Lady Moon stopped to read a sign. "Welcome to Holdenshire. Home of the best pizza in Arconia. AAA National Lacrosse Champions. No spitting."

"Sounds nice," stated Meekal.

"Sounds like another dead end," corrected Lady Moon. They entered town. The plan thus far had been asking anyone they met as they walked through town if they'd heard of Oddeldoodle. Lady Moon sighed at the upcoming unproductiveness of the task as she approached a woman carrying a basket of grocery items. "Excuse me, Miss? Have you heard of a wizard named Oddeldoodle?"

"I wish I 'adn't!" she spat.

As a reflex she said back, "Thanks anywa- What?! You have heard of him?!?"

"I sure 'ave! I 'ired 'im to put a spell on me 'ouse to keep vampires away. That stupid wizard put a spell on me 'ouse that makes garlic grow all around it all year long! Now nobody will come over for a visit!" She began walking away. "Wizard indeed! Crackpot is more like it!"

Lady Moon completely forgot to ask the woman where he lived. Once she remembered, she thought better of it. "I really hate this."

Meekal offered, "Maybe we should try the pizza?"

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-22-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

The pizza really wasn't that bad.

"This pizza really isn't that bad," replied Meekal, as he started on his fourth peice.

Lady Moon didn't respond, but instead continued to play with the crust from her first peice. The whole afternoon of asking people in town about the wizard Oddeldoodle had been a waste. Each time she asked the person they would tell some horrible story about themself or someone they knew who had hired Oddeldoodle and had their house turned-inside out or a dog turned a shade too pink or the laundry revolting against them for using too much starch.

Now she sat in a darkened pizza parlor, exhausted and not hungry. The pizza parlor was empty except for them and an old man in the corner eating a calzone. The walls were decorated with the trophies of the town's lacrosse team. Obviously, the pizza parlour was a sponsor. She took a sip of Fresca, but it didn't help.

Meekal started into his fifth peice. "This pizza is reall-"

"I know," interrupted Lady Moon, "but good pizza isn't going to help our situation. We've asked everyone in this town about Oddeldoodle and all we get are stories about how badly he screws things up."

"We haven't asked everyone," refuted Meekal. "We haven't asked that old man."

"Yeah, well, he probably has some story about how Oddeldoodle made his two feet into carrots and now he lives in fear of rabbits."

"I'll ask him." Meekal stood and walked over to the old man.

"You do that," muttered Lady Moon and she took another swig of Fresca.

Meekal returned two minutes later. "You were wrong," he said as he sat.

"His feet are turnips then," she replied back.

"No. His feet are normal. Although, he did think it was funny that you'd suggest him turning his own feet into carrots." Meekal took a bite of pizza. "This pizza really is-"

"HIS OWN FEET?!?" cried Lady Moon. She stood and looked at the old man. "You're Oddledoodle?!?"

The old man put down his fork. "Yes. I am Oddledoodle. My feet aren't carrots, but I am afraid of rabbits. In my business they can pop out of a hat at any moment."

[This message has been edited by Lord Tellurine (edited 07-22-2001).]

[Lord Tellurine]

The horse drawn cart slowly made it's way along the Arconian road. The only obvious passenger was an old man who as sitting up front. The cart itself was full of barrels, but only two of the barrels had contents. One barrel contained Lady Moon of the Quill, formely known as Princess Buffy of Schoolcraftia and the other had Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu. The old man was the not-so-great wizard Oddeldoodle, idiot-brother of the great Muu wizard Oddeldiah.

After meeting Oddledoodle at the Holdenshire Pizza Hovel the prior evening, Lady Moon had told the wizard what her predictament was. He had agreed to help her, but first needed to go to his house to get some equipment. They arrived at his house an hour later to find it surrounded by soldiers of Muu and they hid in the forest encompassing the house to spy on them.

It wasn't long until Lord Tellurine, looking quite perturbed, exited the house. "There's no sign of the old fool," he told his men, "but it doesn't look like Lady Moon and Prince Meekal have been here either." He paced a little. "We will wait here for either him or them to show up. Then we shall have our revenge." He laughed cruelly.

It was then that Oddledoodle raised his crooked old wand to do something, but Lady Moon stopped him. She explained, "We need to get to the Arconian Castle. We get can a head start while they're waiting around here."

They made there way back into town and rented a horse and cart from the Holdenshire Hurtz-U-Ride. It was decided that since Lady Moon and Prince Meekal were the ones that were being looked for and Oddledoodle could be mistaken for any old man that they would hide and he would drive.

Lady Moon's barrel was directly behind Oddledoodle, so she could keep in contact with him. She had insisted on keeping her sword with her in the barrel, and that made for a lack of room and made her very uncomfortable. Of course, Meekal had taken his stones with him and she could hear him having conversations with them in the barrel next to hers.

Suddenly, she heard galloping. A bunch of horses were gaining on them. About twenty she figured. It was the soldiers of Muu! Then she heard the voice of Lord Tellurine himself.

"Whoa, Hayfever," he said, coming up alongside the cart. "Old man," he started, "I was wond- Oddeldiah? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

Oddeldoodle gulped and lowered his voice to match his brother's. "I am on my way to the Arconian Castle. I wanted to witness for myself the triumph of the Muu."

"Excellent," said Lord Tellurine. "We had word that some escaped prisoners of Muu were going to try to enlist the help of your brother."

"My brother," said Oddledoodle in his best Oddeldiah voice, "is an idiot."

"Yes," agreed Lord Tellurine. "You keep saying."

"Yes. I know. I always call Oddledoodle an idiot. It's what I do."

"Yes." There was an akward silence. "We shall ride with you then, Oddeldiah. By this time tomorrow Arconia shall be ours!" Lord Tellurine and his troops galloped up ahead of the cart.

Lady Moon waited till she thought they were out of earshot. She whispered, "Why did he think you were Oddeldiah?"

Oddeldoodle turned around slightly to speak to her. "Didn't I mention? We're identical twins."

"No, you didn't, but I'm starting to wish I was twins. Then at least one of me wouldn't be in this mess."

[ 07-23-2001: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]

[its_me_mango]

of for heavens sake declared its_me_mango, when will they find lord tellurine

[Lord Tellurine]

As evening in Arconia fell Lord Tellurine found a descreet field hidden from the main road by a patch of large evergreens and made camp for the night. Oddeldoodle, under the guise of Oddeldiah followed the Muu party off the road and stopped his cart, with it's precious payload, away from the rest of the group.

Lord Tellurine noticed and said, "Oddeldiah, don't be shy. Pull up alongside the rest of us."

Oddeldoodle lowered his voice to match his brother's and said, "I will be working on some magic tonight, so I do not want to be disturbed by you or your men."

"Of course, Oddeldiah," Lord Tellurine replied, bowing slightly. He rejoined the rest of his group.

"That was close," Lady Moon said from her barrel.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay in your barrels for tonight," offered Oddeldoodle. "Of course, if you want I could do a little cloud of mist to hide us within."

Lady Moon peaked through the lid of her barrel. "No," she said plainly.

Oddeldoodle gave her a hurt look. He said sadly, "Still don't have any faith in my powers, huh?"

"No!" answered Lady Moon in a shocked voice. "That's not it at all! It's just that a cloud of mist would wreak havoc with my hair." She winked at him. "Tell you what, though... When they fall asleep, let me know. I'm gonna do some looking around."

Oddeldoodle winked back as she closed her barrel's lid. Over at the camp a horse sneezed.

"Stupid horse!"

[ 07-23-2001: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]

[Lord Tellurine]

The stars and the moon were hidden behind thin wisps of clouds as night engulfed the Muu camp. Their fire was almost out and all the Muu warriors, including Lord Tellurine had fallen asleep. Nobody had been given guard duty as Lord Tellurine figured nobody knew they were there anyway.

Lady Moon slipped silently out of her barrel and made her way towards the camp. Dodging between sleeping horses she made her way to Lord Tellurine's crude army-supplied tent. The tent was too small for him as his feet stuck out awkwardly from one end and the top of his skull (And his thinning hair) stuck out of the other end. In fact all of the tents were too small for all of the warriors of Muu. There had been a royal inquiry and it was discovered that the army's tent supplier had been skimping on the fabric. The King of Muu made sure that the supplier's body would skimp on having a head.

Lady Moon crept up beside Lord Tellurine. He was mumbling in his sleep about where in town his statue should be placed. She pulled up his tent on his left side and began looking through his personal effects. Suddenly she found what she was looking for. She grabbed his watch and turned the knob on the side until it read two hours later. She gently placed it back and returned the tent to where it belonged.

She stood and confidently began returning to the cart when suddenly Lord Tellurine's horse, Hayfever sneezed. She froze and looked back at Tellurine.

He opened his eyes and looked towards his horse. "Shut up, you stupid horse!" Then he saw Lady Moon. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Intruder!" he yelled.

The camp sprung to life. The Lady Moon drew her sword, but before she knew it she was surrounded.

She dropped her sword and two Muu warriors grabbed her. Lord Tellurine approached her. "So we meet again."

"Not by choice."

"Of course not," agreed Lord Tellurine. "It was fate. You are to witness the downfall of your castle."

"I'm not going to go back to Muu with you," she said, as if filling in the next peice.

"You're right. You're not." He smiled an evil smile. "You're going to die at the Arconia Castle, trying to defend it. I'll run you through in the very garden of the very castle I snuck you out of. I will tell the King of Muu I did it in self-defense." He ran a finger along Lady Moon's left cheek. "He won't know any different and dead poets tell no tales."

She spat in his eye. "You'll fail! Arconia will not be taken so easily."

He gingerly wiped his eye with his handkerchief. "We'll see. Tie her up!"

Lady Moon was led away and Lord Tellurine returned to his tent. His horse sneezed. "Good boy, Hayfever."

[ 07-24-2001: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]

[Lord Tellurine]

Morning in Arconia came and Lord Tellurine was in a panic. "We're late!" he kept yelling at his troops as they packed up camp. "We should have been on the road hours ago!"

Once they were on the road he kept glancing at his watch and pushing his troops, including Oddledoodle's cart to go faster. The cart had been given another horse to help pull and its rider, a Muu warrior, was now in the cart with Oddledoodle so that he may keep an eye on Lady Moon, who now sat up front. At least I'm not in a barrel anymore, she thought to herself.

Lord Tellurine couldn't figure out how he had gotten behind schedule. He and all his troops had slept in that morning, although when he started yelling at them for doing so they all looked at him like he was crazy. He reminded them of his close ties with the King of Muu and they stopped complaining.

Lord Tellurine pulled out a map and looked at it. Arconia City was not too far from where they were. Soon he would order his troops off the main road and they would circumvent the city through the woods to the south-western edge where the castle was.

Even arriving to the castle late was not that big of a problem. The sleeping potion lasted a few hours. Everyone in the castle should still be sleeping when they arrive. There wouldn't be time for reconnaissance, but to merely enter the castle from their garden entrance and take it.

Lord Tellurine smiled. It would work. It had to.

[Lord Tellurine]

The peaceful forest just outside of the Arconian Castle wall was not peaceful this morning. Through it strode a Lord of Muu, twenty warriors of Muu, a princess of Schoolcraftia, and an idiot wizard, pretending not to be.

Lord Tellurine led them up to the hole in the castle wall that entered the royal garden. He turned to face his troops. He glanced at his watch and reported, "Everyone inside should be asleep by now. I'll go in and open the door leading down into the lower levels of the castle to make sure the potion has since evaporated." He motioned for Lady Moon. "You come with me."

One of the Muu warriors pushed her towards Lord Tellurine. She looked him in the eye. "You'll fail," she said.

He smiled. "Defiant to the end, Princess. How quaint." He turned back to his troops. "I will give the signal for when you are to come through the wall."

Lord Tellurine grabbed Lady Moon and thrusted her into the wall's hole. He went through after her. The royal garden was just as it was a week earlier, except now it was daylight. They made their way past the large rose bush that covered the hole in the wall and the pear tree that stood next to it. Before them was the path that led directly to a door in the side of the castle.

They walked the path up to the door and Lord Tellurine opened it cautiously, trying not to breathe any potion that might still be lingering. He had the door wide open and he sniffed. He paused and sniffed again. He said, as if talking to himself, "The potion has a distinct smell. Sort of like peppermint rolled up in old socks, but I don't smell a thing." He thought for a moment. "Maybe all of the potion was carried upstairs by the ventilation system."

"Maybe you've failed," offered Lady Moon.

Lord Tellurine glared at her. She could she the hatred in his eyes. "Maybe," he offerred, "it is time for you to die." He drew his sword.

"Now!" yelled Lady Moon.

Lord Tellurine looked around frantically, expecting the worst. There was nothing. Just Lady Moon, standing in front of him, her hands tied behind her back. The look of grim determination returned and he prepared to kill the Arconian Poet. "Prepare for the afterlife," he told her.

"Prepare to fail," she said back, and she brought her hands in front of her. They were no longer tied and she held her sword.

He looked in disbelief. "How did... you," he stuttered. "Where did?..."

Lady Moon smiled. She may not have had faith in Oddledoodle's powers before, but she certainly did now. "Give up, Tellurine."

"Never! Warriors of Muu! Attack!"

The first warrior of Muu entered through the hole. A stone hit him in the head and he collasped on the ground. The next warrior of Muu entered. He met the same fate. Lord Tellurine looked up into the pear tree next to the rose bush. Up in the branches was Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu, and he was taking stones out of a sack and hurling them down at the Muu warriors.

"Go get him, Nigel!" he told a stone and threw it down at the head of the third Muu warrior. "Your turn, Margaret!" She knocked out the fourth one.

One by one the Muu warriors fell. Lord Tellurine was livid. "NO!!!" he screamed.

"I'm afraid so," disagreed Lady Moon, holding her sword up to his throat. "And I'm going to make sure the rest of your evil plan fails too. You're going to lead me to where the potion is."

"That's absurd!" said Lord Tellurine. "The potion has already gone off."

"I'm afraid not," said Lady Moon. "Your watch is a little fast."

Lord Tellurine looked at his watch. 1pm. An hour after the potion went off. Then he heard the city tower ring the hour. 11 o'clock. An hour before the potion was to go off. "More wizardry?" he asked.

"No," laughed Lady Moon. "I just turned your watch ahead. What a moron." She turned to see Meekal dropping the last of his stones on the last of the Muu warriors. "Good work, Meekal!" she yelled. She then called out, "Oddledoodle!"

The old wizard made his way through the wall and around the pile of Muu warriors. He approached Lady Moon and her prisoner.

Lord Tellurine said, "Oddledoodle? You mean Oddlediah. The great Muu wizard!"

"Nope," replied Lady Moon. "Oddledoodle."

Oddledoodle spoke, this time without lowering his voice to match his brother's. "We're identical twins, don't you know?"

"I do now," said Lord Tellurine weakly.

Lady Moon pointed towards the door that led down into the castle. She ordered, "Take us to the potion, Lord Failure."

Grumbling under his breath, he led them down the stairs into the castle. A few moments later they were in a room where every vent in the castle seemed to cross through. Lady Moon recognized Lord Tellurine's pouch from a wek earlier. It was in the corner of the room, empty. In the center of room was a small cauldron, filled to the brim with little grey balls. Lady Moon remember it was one of those balls that had put her to sleep a week previous. She wondered what all of the balls put together would do. The grey balls were glowing, as if they were all getting ready to explode.

She turned to Oddeldoodle. "Can you dis-arm it?" she asked.

Oddledoodle walked towards the cauldron, looking it over. "My brother is a very crafty wizard. He is known for setting very elaborate traps and casting nearly unbreakable spells. He is far more powerful and I am and without any of my equipment I could never hope to get past all the little tricks he uses for his best customers." He walked around the cauldron, examining it. He stopped and asked, "Tell me, Lord Tellurine, did you pay my brother a lot of money for this?"

Lord Tellurine answered, "I gave him a king's ransom for it." He added, "It was an investment."

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Oddeldoodle said, "but you were... how do you say... duped."

"What do you mean?" asked Lord Tellurine angrily.

"It's not his best work," he replied.

Lady Moon asked, "Can you dis-arm it?"

"Yes. All I have to do is unplug it." He pulled a cord out the side of the cauldron. The grey balls stopped glowing. He scolded Tellurine, "Next time, shop around."

"I'll do that."

"There won't be a next time," said Lady Moon. "Let's go."

She marched Lord Tellurine upstairs to the King's chamber. King Arcon was glad to see Lady Moon was all right. Lord Tellurine was handed over to the royal guard to be held until his trial. More guards were sent to the garden to capture the Muu warriors.

Meekal The Daft was made an honorary citizen of Arconia, although his stones weren't given the same priveledge. Oddeldoodle said his goodbyes and left the City of Arconia to return to his little house to live in peace.

Lady Moon was happy to be home and she ran off to see what everyone had been doing in her absence.

Outside the castle wall, not too far from the hole that leads into the royal garden, a horse sneezed.

The End

[ 07-24-2001: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]

[Moonitic]

Bravo! Bravo! Yeehaw!!

[Iwant2bafencer]

:Stands and applauds clapclapclapclap whistle whistle whistle 'good show everyone! Good show!' Sorry I'm done now.
(Good thing I didn't go for my walk through the garden this morning.)
Lady Rosaline