WIP: Dan/Casey Fairytale (part 3)

[out_there]

Seeing that Sir Dan was utterly serious, and knowing his skill with a sword, Jeremy and Natalie carried Lady Dana out the door. Although she didn’t want to leave, Natalie knew that it was better than staying and all three of them being captured by the evil queen. As they ran out of the castle, she promised herself that they would return for the prince and the knight, as soon as they knew that Lady Dana was safe.

After hours of riding, they returned to their homeland to find King Casey pacing outside the castle. He was ranting to Isaac about their brash thoughtlessness and as soon as they rode up, he turned his bad temper on them. He had returned from the hunting trip early with a prize stag and had found them gone. After reading Jeremy’s letter, he had no choice but to sit around and wait for their return. He couldn’t believe that they had been so foolish as to sneak into Queen Lisa’s palace. They could have easily been killed, or worse.

He was touched that his friends had risked so much for his happiness, but was too worried about them to be kind when they returned. Jeremy and Natalie cringed under the king’s onslaught, but were unable to get a word in edgewise. The king was still yelling at them as they climbed down from the horses, and only stopped when he realised that something was wrong with Lady Dana. He carried her inside to her rooms, with Natalie and Jeremy at his heels, both trying to tell him the story at the same time. When she was settled in her bed, he summoned a nurse to watch over her, and led the other two into the dining room to discuss this further.

King Casey could not believe that Sir Dan would betray him so easily. He refused to believe that his loyal friend, that someone he considered so dear to his own heart, could do that to him. He told the others that they must have been mistaken, but they assured him that it had been Sir Dan, and that he had been sincere. The king argued that Sir Dan was known for his cunning and guile, and that this must be part of a plot to rescue Charlie. He must have known that they only had two horses and that they would not have been able to escape with three extra people. Natalie and Jeremy could only shake their heads, trying to convince the king otherwise, but he would not listen.

The king waited, day after day, for Sir Dan to return. After the third day, he lost his temper and almost accused his friends of lying, but he still could not believe that the knight would not return. He continued to wait, until a week, and then two, slipped by. While he waited, the best doctors of his land treated Lady Dana. They tried everything they could, but she refused to wake. Eventually, Isaac sent for the witches and wizards of the land to come see her, but they said the same thing. No one could be sure what was causing her sleep. They knew that the Witch Queen had cast a spell, but they were not strong enough to reverse it. The only one who could do that was the Witch Queen herself.

After two weeks, Isaac approached the king and told him of the healers’ suggestion. King Casey had grown restless waiting for Sir Dan’s return and decreed that he would go and confront the queen himself.

His friends were concerned, and said that it was far too dangerous. Surely, the queen would kill him and claim his land as her own. Try as they might, they could not convince him to change his mind, so instead, they forced him to take them with him. It would be easier with more horses, they told him. It would be safer with more people, they said. In the end, they threatened to ride out and follow him if he didn’t let them come. Realising they would not be persuaded, King Casey agreed to let them come, as long as someone remained to look over Lady Dana. As he was no longer as young or as fit as he once was, Isaac volunteered to stay and organised for the others to leave at dawn.

And so, with his armour polished and his sword sharpened, King Casey set off the next day with his faithful friends by his side. Contrary to their expectations, the ride there was uneventful. Most of the country seemed to be preoccupied with celebrating the queen’s upcoming birthday. There were parties and fireworks being arranged, and wagons of food being shipped to the palace for the special feast. King Casey rolled his eyes at the spectacle but Jeremy pointed out that it would make it easy for them to sneak in. As the branch had broken, they probably would not be able to climb into the palace, but the huge gatherings would make it difficult for the palace guards to spot them.

When they arrived at the palace they saw that it was a hive of activity. The celebrations had not started yet, but there were wagons of food and wine entering, and empty wagons leaving, every few minutes. Seeing this, they tethered their horses outside the palace walls and crept around the surrounding village, searching for a stopped wagon. They found one full of apples, sitting outside the tavern. They climbed inside and hid at the back, waiting until it eventually started moving. They lay still as statues, almost holding their breaths, as they heard the sound of the guards’ voices asking about the content of the wagon. The driver rumbled that it was apples, ordered especially by the cooks, and after a heart-wrenching moment, they felt the wagon start to move toward the kitchens.

Comments

[laylee.livejournal.com]

Ooo, the plot thickens...

[out-there.livejournal.com]

*snerk*

You know the really weird bit? It's so odd writing actual *plot*. I'm used to the basis of the story being "This is Character A; this is Character B; watch as they pine/kiss/sleep together". It's not exactly plot... *g*