To Another World

[Ruu]

Blue eyes stared dreamily into the distance, reflecting the glory of the daytime sky. A young boy with sun-bleached hair that looked almost white stood precariously at the edge of the ship that had been his home for many years now. Around him the crew bustled with their usual energy, and Justin would begin his own work soon as well, but for now he was just enjoying the beauty of nature. A look of concern soon crossed his face, however, and he closed his eyes, communing with the voice that always seemed to be inside of him.

Be wary, my child...the forces of evil draw close.

Evil? What...evil? The shadow creatures again?

The shadow creatures are ever present, but there are others who would seek to do you harm, worse as they are directed by obsession and greed rather than bestial instinct.

Greed...but who would...be after me? Have I done something wrong?

No, child, no...but the powers you hold inside of you are vast, and there are many who would use your powers for gain. Can you not think of...Ah! Child, behind you!

Justin's eyes flickered open just in time to see a dark creature rearing behind him, ready to strike. Impossible...where had it come from? It hadn't been there before! It seemed like the powers of the shadow beasts were evolving and changing at any moment.

"Shadow creatures!" Justin yelled in his rather high-pitched voice.

He held out his hand, and a glowing sphere of fire appeared. He hurled it forward, engulfing the creature in the flames. It let out a wailing sound and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Though all magic seemed to harm the shadow creatures, fire was certainly the most potent and could eradicate them completely. A burst of wind suddenly erupted behind him and a creature was sent flying into the water.

"I've got your back Justin," said a familiar voice as a young man with chestnut hair descended beside Justin.

"Zephyr! Thank you! Those creatures...maybe I am bad luck...they seem to be following us..." said the child glumly.

"Nonsense," laughed Zephyr, clapping him on the shoulder, "They follow wherever there's treasure. And where better to find treasure than with pirates? Now, I'll take to the air to see if there are anymore. You get down below."

"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself," retorted Justin as Zephyr floated up into the air again, searching for more creatures.

"Shadow creatures! Not in my kitchen!" cried a loud voice.

There was the sound of metal striking something and the whisper of tongues of fire. Ralph suddenly emerged from the culinary center just as a shadow creature flew into the wall and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You'd think they'd learn...I make mincemeat out of any of those varmints that would dare to take one step into my fortress!" he guffawed.

Justin's eyes widened as more shadow creatures began to take shape. But the planet had warned him of others...not the shadow creatures...Would they have to deal with both at the same time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the castle a dark and brooding man sat on an ornate throne carved from obsidian stone. His dark brows were furrowed and his keen dark eyes surveyed the young man before him. For a King, he was actually dressed rather simply, other than the golden crown placed upon his head. His dark locks hung around his face, the same color as his smooth, clean-shaven beard. Though he looked suave and cool on the outside, inside he was always filled with a dangerous mixture of ambition, greed, and pure rage. He served as a stark contrast to the only other person in the room, the young man whom he had called.

"Simon," he said in a deep, stern voice, "You know your mission then? My forces will attack the foolish pirates. You will take a band of men and you will find the boy. You remember what he looks like, do you not? Yes, you do, for there will be no other male child on board, or so my intelligence suggests. If he resists, you may fight back, but do not kill him. I will have your head if he dies. When he is brought back to me, more than any other duty, you will be charged with making sure he does not escape, and that he is never alone with my wife...Is that understood?"

Behind a silk curtain that separated the throne room from the other parts of the castle, a slender figure stood, unnoticed by the stalwart King. For her age, she was still rather pretty with rich chestnut hair that fell to her waist and eyes as green as the deepest jungle. She was silent, however, he breaths nearly imperceptible. Though she was Queen, with her fall from the King's favor (and his fall from hers), she had been forced to tread rather lightly. She knew what her husband was planning, much as he tried to keep it a secret. He had discovered the hidden powers that Justin held within his rather fragile body, and now...he was going to take the boy back. Before, the King had wanted nothing to do with him, but the power of a Shaper...She bit her lip at the King's words. Xavier didn't trust her, and wouldn't allow her to be alone with her beloved nephew. That had been her only solace, her only hope that perhaps this would be bearable if she could but be with Justin again. But now...the King had dashed even that hope. Silently, she walked away, not wishing to hear anymore. She tried to think of something, anything to sabotage the message. Xavier had already killed her dear brother...now to go after her precious nephew? She knew Justin wouldn't be treated well, like an object instead of the sweet, kind child that he was. When Celeste reached her quarters, her lady-in-waiting, Josephine, looked at her kindly. Josephine was older woman with graying hair, a sweet grandmotherly face, and of rather rotund features.

"My lady, you did not hear what you wished to hear, did you?" sighed Josephine, "I told you that any news would be bad news.

"Maybe...they'll fail Josephine," whispered Celeste, sitting on her bed, "I don't know what I'd do if..."

"You'd be strong, Celeste," Josephine replied, the only person who dared to use the Queen's first name, "You'd look for a chance to free the child and you'd take it. They can't watch all the time. And who knows, if what the King says is true, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for him to escape on his own...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Kevin Albrook sat in a chair lazing in the sun like he normally did at this time in the afternoon. Flowers bloomed around him, flowers he had caused to spring from the earth for his own enjoyment, and a blue rose was nestled in his hair, tucked behind his ear. He was fast asleep and dreaming, of his loyal and adoring fan base, of course.

"Yes, yes...I know I'm beautiful..." he murmured in his sleep, "Yes...of course I am the most handsome man in the Kingdom."

[AppleMistress]

Charlie watched several shadow creatures take form through narrowed hazel eyes. She curled her fingers around the grip of her sword as one of the creatures began to take form right in front of her. She skillfully lifted her blade and slashed it through the creature before it could even attempt to defend itself. It dissolved slowly, melting into the wooden floorboards on the deck. "Why so many?" She huffed under her breath as she blew her bangs out of her eyes. She moved forward, taking out two more of the creatures that seemed to be multiplying. "Phoebe, go somewhere safe. Take Lucy with you."

"Hm?" Phoebe lifted her head from her work. In such a daze, she hadn't even noticed the shadow creatures taking form. She set her mop down, as she'd taken it upon herself to do a little cleaning earlier. "Oh, alright. Watch where you step, the deck may be a tad slippery." She pulled on the brim of her cap, taking a moment to cast a glance at Lucy, who'd crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I can fight! Let me fight!" Lucy protested. "Why does Justin get to fight? He's younger than I am!"

"Justin didn't carelessly injure his arm in the last fight. You'll be allowed to fight once you recover." Charlie retorted sternly as she slashed through another shadow creature. She turned to the younger girl and gestured to her bandaged wrist. "Now go. I'll let you know when it's safe."

"Lets go, Lucy Luu." Phoebe said in an airy voice, setting a gentle hand down on the younger girl's shoulder. Her touch seemed to instantaneously settle the girl's nerves. "I can read to you, if you like. Justin, if you find it necessary, you're more than free to join us."

Lucy grumbled something inaudible under her breath and gained no reaction from the young lady except for a yawn. The two climbed downward to safety. Nerves somewhat settled, Charlie directed her attention towards Justin. "They just keep multiplying. You can stay and fight, but like Phoebe said-- go and stay with the two of them in one of the cabins if you ever feel overwhelmed."

From behind Charlie, Larry sent a few blasts of fire at the two shadow creatures attempting to follow Phoebe and Lucy. "Ah, you worry too much, lass." He turned on his heels, as he noticed more creatures taking form. The ex performer took in a huge breath before skillfully taking out about six of the creatures with a wave of crackling fire. "We can take out all of these beasts."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I understand. Shall I deliver the order to begin to attack now, your Majesty? Or would you rather wait until nightfall?" Simon kept a professional stance. He stood up straight and didn't look disheveled in the slightest. His ocean blue eyes that used to be filled with light were rather dull and passive. He was merely there to take orders, nothing more. Although the thought of attacking a child brought him to a point where he almost felt disgust. Even so, a royal guard could never let his emotions get the better of him. To maintain his status and to make his family proud, he had to do absolutely anything the King ordered him to do. Yes, Simon Holloway was prepared for absolutely anything.

The groan of heavy doors swinging open caught both Simon and the King's attention. A somewhat anxious guard came running in. He was relatively new, a replacement for a young lady who'd recently masqueraded as a man. She'd been dismissed from her job and hadn't been seen since. This guard was currently supposed to be on lookout; watching the pirate ship, making sure that they weren't making plans to sail elsewhere or anything of that nature. The guard caught his breath, panicked at the fact that the King seemed to be growing impatient with the rude interruption. "Your Majesty." He bowed down and then continued, "The pirates are currently being attacked by shadow creatures. The child is on board as well. What should we do?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princess Sonia Albrook sat next to her brother in the sun, as she refused to stay cooped up by herself in her chamber on such a lovely day. She read under the shade of her lacy, pale blue parasol. Despite the icy and somewhat striking shade of her eyes, they were incredibly bright and lively as they scanned the text on the pages she flipped through. Her brother's mumbling dragged her out of the adventurous world she'd found herself in. She scrunched her nose in distaste, casting an irritated glance at him. "Of course you are, brother." Sonia spoke with a falsely cheerful tone. Noticing he was asleep and unable to hear her words, she rolled her eyes and returned to her book.

[Ruu]

Justin hesitated when Charlie said that he could follow Lucy and Phoebe, but then shook his head.

"The creatures...they're here because of me," he whispered, "If I followed Lucy and Phoebe, they'd just follow after me. Larry's right! We can beat them together!"

He held up his hand, a bolt of lightning taking out three of the creatures. Unfortunately, they seemed to continue to multiply, even as they were destroyed. He had never seen such a swarm before. Without warning, a dark claw raked his shoulder. He gasped in surprise, for though there was no evidence of a physical energy, it felt like there was a burning welt where the creature had struck. A burst of fire incinerated the creature, however, as Ralph stood next to him.

"Ya better get down below, lad," Ralph said anxiously, putting his hand on the boy's good shoulder to steady him, "That beast got ya pretty good."

"I'm alright..." Justin replied, shaking his head and closing his eyes.

Please...give me just a bit of strength...allow me to keep fighting.

Be careful child...I will help you this once, but the shadow creatures are multiplying, searching for my heart. Most of my reserves are spent holding them at bay. And remember...there are others who seek to use your powers.

A faint glow appeared where Justin had been wounded and the burning sensation disappeared. Unfortunately, twelve of the shadow beasts took that moment to appear. The child's eyes lit with a fierce glow.

"Stay away from my friends!" cried Justin, "You will not harm this place any longer!"

Fire, water, wind, and clods of earth swirled around the creatures...faster...faster...until they were all swallowed in the spinning vortex and cast into the see.

"Yes! We did..." began the child, though his voice trailed off when another column of shadow creatures appeared.

These creatures were different in appearance, looking to be like soldiers with spears made of darkness and shields of shadow.

"Uh oh..." whispered Justin, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He had almost used all his strength with the last attack...

Ralph took a stance in front of him, "I guess going below isn't an option for you. You're right, looks like they're following you everywhere. But we won't let them get you, not if we have anything to say about it, right guys?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The King was about to reply when a rather distraught looking soldier entered the throne room. He glared at the soldier who seemed barely to be able to get the words out, but his glare turned thoughtful at the news.

"Simon...take your men and give the order to attack now. I would have waited until nightfall, but they will be scattered and divided with this fresh attack from the beasts. Go now, and do not fail me. Remember, the success of your mission will determine the fate of this royal bloodline, our very survival."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin blinked at the sound of another voice, and he looked up to see his sister.

"Wow Sonia...you must have invisible magic. I didn't even know you were here," he yawned with a rather stupefied smile on his face, even though he had been talking to her moments before he had fallen asleep, "Aren't the gardens pretty today? Look at my new rose!"

He held up a blue rose proudly as he threaded it through one of his shirt buttons.

[AppleMistress]

"Of course not." Charlie agreed with the nod of her head. Knowing she would never have children, she always felt a little more protective over Justin and Lucy compared to the rest of the crew. A mother bear's instinct just seemed to kick in whenever either of the two were in harms way. That's why she'd sent Lucy down below without any further consideration. In no circumstances was she going to let anyone get hurt. "We can knock these monsters out. Larry, make sure none of 'em can slip down below. Don't attack too carelessly and preserve your energy. There may be a lot of them, but they're weak."

With that said, the redheaded charged forward and took out three of them in a one skillful swing of her blade. Another stepped forward, aiming at her with its' spear. She blocked it with her sword and tried to throw the creature off balance. Under the force of her blade, the soldier shadow stumbled backwards. Charlie spun herself around so that she was standing behind the persistent creature and struck it through its' center. After a moment, it disappeared. Before she even had time to draw in a breath, she was approached by another creature and continued to fight as she'd been taught to since childhood. These creatures weren't going to get the best of her crew!

Larry stood by the entrance Phoebe and Lucy had recently taken to get down below. One, seemingly injured by Charlie's blade, was attempting to drag itself towards him. As a result, he held his palm out and shot a large blast of fire at the creature, cremating it within seconds. He sent balls of fire at any creature that dared to approach him, which wasn't very troubling. These creatures were very weak to fire, after all. He gritted his teeth. "When do ya think they'll give in?" He sent his concentrated gaze over to Justin. "How's yer shoulder, lad?"

Charlie managed to take out another creature and was stunned when another creature, taking her off guard, struck her sword and sent it out of her grasp. She backed up as the shadow attempted to prey on her and inevitably slipped on the deck-- Phoebe did warn them that it'd be slippery, in any case. Attempting not to show any fear, Charlie grabbed onto the mop Phoebe left behind and held it horizontally to block the blow of the solider shadow's spear. She'd always been treated as a hinderance due to the fact that she didn't have elemental abilities like everyone else did. She wouldn't let herself be seen as a weakling. Under any circumstances. With a burst of confidence, she smacked the creature with the mop and brought herself back up on her feet. She smacked it again, throwing it off balance. She stomped on it and kicked it, sending it sliding across the damp floorboards and towards Larry.

Larry smirked. "Well, that's our Captain." He shot a burst of fire at the creature, inevitably destroying it.

Charlie swished the blood in her mouth and spat it out on the deck. She bit her tongue as she fell. "That one was mine." She retorted, exchanging the mop for her fallen sword.

"Still got plenty more to worry over, lass." Larry grinned as Charlie returned to fighting the multiplying creatures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Of course, your Majesty." Simon bowed his head and went on his way, taking the distraught guard with him. The guard rehearsed his plan in his head, over and over again. His men would attack. He would locate the child. A boy, rather small. Potentially dangerous-- but he wouldn't be too much of a threat. Simon had spent enough years in training to understand how to knock someone unconscious without significantly harming them. As long as he could corner the child and take advantage of him, the plan would run just as the King had expected.

The disheveled guard was attempting an unnecessary conversation about the weather. Simon merely nodded when it seemed necessary, readying himself for what had to be done.

It would take a good fifteen minutes to prepare his men. They were expecting to attack upon nightfall-- and most definitely be a bit disappointed about this turn of events. Simon easily ignored their disappointment in these circumstances. They had to do what the King said. No exceptions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can be sneaky like that, yes." Sonia mentioned as a coy smile played across her lips. She lifted her gaze from her book and nodded delightfully at her brother's rose. She pretended to be fascinated. She was quite used to her brother's… goofiness. She cared for her brother more than anyone else and would usually put a considerable amount of effort into humoring his interests for a little while. Everything was boring. Everything, everything, everything. But no one needed to know that those were her true thoughts. "That's quite a lovely rose. And the day is considerably beautiful."

Sonia closed her book and leaned forward, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she stared out at the gardens her mother and her brother cared so much for. She found it all… underwhelming. It was lovely, yes. But she couldn't summon even the slightest bit of enthusiasm as she looked out at it. "It would be a wonderful day to take a walk, yes?"

[Ruu]

Justin looked up at Larry and nodded with a smile, trying to mask the worry at the ever-multiplying creatures, "Don't worry, my shoulder's fine. I was able to heal it."

His eyes widened when he saw Charlie fall, but he breathed a sigh of relief as she fended off the attacking creature. His attention was diverted, however, as a beast-like shadow creature roared and sprang at him. He held up a hand, engulfing it in flames, but more continued to appear. He found himself being driven further and further away from his companions, and even as he burnt the shadows to dust, they continued to reappear. His body was beginning to weaken physically at the use of so much magic and his mind was beginning to become foggy and hazy. It was becoming more and more difficult to concentrate on his spells...

What do I do? Where are they coming from? Help me?

They are after my heart...at the moment they are assaulting the earth from every angle. My power is being spent...I'm sorry...

Justin bit his lip, fending off another shadow beast just in time. He was quite alone now, separated from his friends and very vulnerable...

Meanwhile, above the ship were shadow-like birds, held at bay by a wall of wind that Zephyr was continuously maintaining. He knew if he let it slip, the creatures would cause more worry among the pirates fighting below. For now, the wind screen was holding, but he didn't know how much longer he could manage it.

"How do we stop these things?" he muttered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"A walk?" Kevin's eyes lit up, "Sure, that would be great! I could find some new flowers."

After saying this, however, Kevin continued to lounge around without getting up. Truthfully, he had become distracted by the rays of the sun falling on a cluster of morning glories.

"Look at that, Sonia," he murmured, "It's so beautiful...Though...of course not as beautiful as I am, right?"

He turned towards his sister, flashing his supposedly winsome smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste had spent some moments alone, contemplating what to do. Even now, Simon and his men were most likely attacking the pirates to retrieve Justin. She understood that the King had realized his power as a Shaper, but what did he wish to use it for? The defense of the Kingdom or....something else? She needed to find out what he planned before it was too late. Silently, she rose from her bed and glided through the hallways until she reached the throne room, where her husband sat, brooding in thought.

"Xavier..." she said in her soft voice, "May I speak with you?"

[AppleMistress]

After giving his men proper orders, Simon approached the ship that was being invaded by an absurd amount of shadow creatures. The soldier of twenty-eight years hadn't seen so many of these beasts gathered together in a single place before, it was almost enough to startle him. Keeping his composure, he moved forward. He had a job that had to be done and nothing was going to faze him. The other guards were asked to distract the rest of the pirates. The child was his priority and his alone, for some of his men were too careless to perform the task. Properly trained, Simon knew how to attain the child without creating too much of a mess and without injuring him, should he put up a fight.

All in all, Simon was a kind enough man that he wouldn't maliciously strike a young child with his sword. No matter how powerful this child was, he was still a child. And that needed to be respected. He would defend himself, should he need to, but he wouldn't act violently towards the child. It wasn't because he underestimated the boy, he had power beyond that of his or anyone else's in this world.

Nearing the boy now, Simon knew well that he complete this task quickly. The child was being overwhelmed and was separated from his friends at the moment. Now was the time to strike. Simon clenched the handkerchief coated in chloroform he'd prepared, slashing through a shadow creature in his way before approaching the child from behind, ready to rob him of his consciousness for an hour or more.


Meanwhile, Simon's men jumped aboard the ship as well. They immediately turned to distract Charlie and the rest of the crew, before they could even begin to recognize that they were all being separated, to a certain extent. There were only six men-- no need to send more when the pirates were already being distracted with the monsters that'd invaded their ship. With such distractions, neither Charlie or Larry could pinpoint the fact that Justin was completely out of their viewpoint, as they too were being surrounded by an overwhelming amount of creatures.

Charlie felt she couldn't see anything through the shadows. A sword smashed through one in front of her and disappeared, revealing a guard. The very sight boiled her blood. She and many others had every right to be angered with the way the King intended to rule. This was part of the reason why she began to rebel against it herself. "What the hell are Royal Guards doing here?" She growled, clenching her teeth as she held her sword out to block a blow coming towards her side. "We've only stopped for supplies, we haven't done anything wrong here!"

One soldier grinned somewhat morbidly, swinging his sword down once more. Their swords clanged as they made contact and the two continued to strike one another until Larry burned the soldier's back with a blast of fire, making him whimper in pain and spring backwards. Charlie hit him in the back of the neck with the swift swing of her wrist, knocking him unconscious. Two more guards reacted, attempting to attack Larry. He blew fire at them-- one guard ducked and the other's arm was burned as a result, making him drop his weapon.

A cowardly guard picked the unconscious guard up by the shoulders and attempted to drag him away, moving rather quickly despite how much his legs were trembling. Larry narrowed his eyes as he noticed this from past his enemy's shoulder. "Don't let those two get away!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hm." Sonia merely nodded thoughtfully at her brother's words. She cast a nonchalant glance at the flowers that her brother was so mesmerized by. How? She wasn't quite sure. Her mother tended to be the same way when it came to the flowers in this garden. She couldn't quite understand how one could be so interested in plants. Nevertheless, she let herself appear equally as mesmerized by the sight. "Lovely, lovely."

A gentle smile crossed her features as she brought herself up to her feet and stretched both of her arms high over her head. Was it too risky to attempt sneaking into town today? Yes, probably. Sonia could tell that her father was stressed over something. He was very busy. That meant that it'd probably be hard for her to sneak away. She inhaled a deep breath and tried to suppress her disappointment. She walked forward, deciding that exploring the garden would have to do for today. She walked at a leisurely pace, one at which her brother could easily keep up if he wished to join her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were plenty of things that could go wrong today. Xavier had spent quite a while assembling this plan of his and he expected it to succeed. Even so, some of the incompetent guards Simon had chosen to assist on this certain mission caused him a certain amount of worry. Would Simon truly be able to pull this mission off? If he didn't, all of his plans would be torn to shreds. That couldn't happen. The possibility couldn't even cross his mind, it was unthinkable. He clenched his teeth.

This plan was perfect. He'd come up with it, after all. He considered everything that could get in his way and altered it specifically so that it would turn out exactly the way he needed it to. Xavier folded his hands together and held so tightly that his knuckles turned a ghastly shade of white.

Celeste's gentle voice nearly went unnoticed by the concentrated King. He sighed, as though she were a bother, and gestured to her with his hand to come closer. She was still his responsibility, no matter how many quarrels and disagreements they faced. Xavier watched her attentively. He knew how his wife cared for her nephew. There was no way she could sway his decision now. He'd already given the order for the child's capture, after all. His demeanor was stony.

"I suppose so." Xavier replied in a gruff, tired voice. "What is it you need to speak to me about, Celeste?"

[Ruu]

Ralph growled to himself as he continued to fend off the beasts with fire magic. Were they ever going to die? Without warning, a sword swung at him, narrowly missing him.

"What the..." he muttered, finding himself face to face with a Royal guard, "Little runt! I'll make you pay!"

One quick punch to the gut sent the soldier to the ground, his sword flying from his hand.

"Now, I can make this quick and painless or long and drawn out. Which do you prefer?" grinned Ralph.

The terrified soldier screamed, got up and ran, leaving a laughing cook behind him. It was so funny to see them run in terror, especially when he hadn't even used his frying pan and wasn't really planning on doing anything he said. He heard Larry shout something about not letting them get away, noticing the two guards. Well, they would need to question one of them, he supposed. Closing his eyes, he held out his hands, and a ring of fire surrounded the two.

"There ya go, boss," he grinned, "They won't be going anywhere soon."

From his high vantage point, Zephyr was the first to notice the guards, but unable to do anything but shout a warning as he was still being swarmed with the flying shadow creatures. This was really ridiculous! First attacked by the shadow creatures, then boarded by castle soldiers. What could they have done wrong? Sure, they were pirates, but they were actually docked legally this time. Moments later, the shadow birds suddenly disappeared and Zephyr returned to the deck, only to find some of the guards fleeing and two trapped in a ring of fire.

"Looks like you handled the guards too," he grinned, rubbing his head with his hand, "But...what are we going to do now?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you, my Lord," whispered Celeste, "I...know your heart is set on returning Justin to the palace. But I have just one request."

"What is it?" sighed Xavier, looking fatigued already, "You know I won't change my mind. I've already given the order for his capture."

"Will you let him stay with me, then?" she asked timidly, "He knows me, and he'll be less frightened. He's just a child after all."

"Absolutely not! He was under your care when he escaped the first time. I will not make that mistake again. He will have his own bedroom, and Simon and the guards will be watching over him. Now, if you will excuse me," sighed Xavier, waving her away impatiently.

"Will I least be able to see him sometimes?" Celeste pleaded, stubborn as usual.

"You will see him," replied Xavier curtly, "But always with Simon or another guard in your presence. Celeste, understand that this decision was not made lightly. It was made for our survival. Now, please, I have work to attend to."

"As you wish, my Lord," whispered Celeste, bowing her head and returning to her own quarters.

Now she could only think and wait...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin found himself fending off the creatures frantically, surrounded by the swarms. It was too much...he was too tired...Without warning, a sword slashed through one of the shadows. His smile of relief disappeared, however, as he choked and gagged, immediately losing consciousness...

After what seemed like ages, Justin opened his eyes, finding himself in the Royal Palace once again, just outside the throne room. He blinked in surprise. How had he gotten here? What had happened? He had been fighting shadow creatures and then...he couldn't remember anything else...He blinked, looking up to see a tall man beside him with blue eyes. He looked so familiar...

"S-Sir...Simon?" he blinked, remembering the man's name, "Why...am I here? What happened? My friends! Were they...hurt? Did you...save me from the shadow creatures? I can't...remember what happened..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin closed his eyes again, not realizing what Sonia was planning. He was just planning on being as lazy as possible today. The day was so much better when you didn't have any worries or cares, and his father had given up trying to get him to do work a long time ago.

"I wonder where Mother and Father are," he sighed, though the question was more rhetorical than anything else.

[AppleMistress]

"Thanks, Ralph." Charlie felt relieved now that the soldiers were taken care of. The Royal guards always set her on edge. She clenched her fists, turning to Larry. "Can you make sure they're all gone? I don't want any of those guards hiding on board."

"'Course." Larry bobbed his head and brushed his hands together as he sent the trapped soldiers a glare. As he walked about the deck, he realized that the shadow creatures were beginning to decrease rapidly. Did it have something to do with the guards? Or was it something else? Nonetheless, he continued to check the ship for Royal guards.

Charlie found herself feeling bewildered as all of the shadow creatures suddenly vanished. There were so many of them. What had caused them to disappear? She shook her head, huffed, and ran her fingers through her short hair. "Well…" she mused, "Zephyr, why don't you call Lucy and Phoebe back up? Everything seems to be under control now that the creatures are gone."

She carefully scanned the deck with narrowed eyes, deciding that the fight hadn't created too much of a mess. Phoebe probably wouldn't mind mopping the deck a second time, but the redhead felt a little bad about asking her to redo such a task. It couldn't be helped. In looking over the entire deck, she noticed something. "Where's Justin?" Her eyes widened and she felt panicked for a moment. "Did he go down below to join Lucy and Phoebe?" She did tell him to do that, should he feel overwhelmed. Something told her that that wasn't the case.

What kind of Captain was she if she let Justin get hurt… or worse? She wasn't sure if she'd be able to live with herself if something had happened to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucy gently prodded Phoebe with her foot. "Everything's so quiet." She murmured. "So quiet. Phoebe, wake up."

The older girl had fallen asleep, head rested against the wall and her hat was askew. This wasn't unusual-- she tended to fade out at inconvenient times. Lucy narrowed her eyes. She wondered if everyone was all right. Those shadow creatures could be nasty sometimes.

She sighed. With her injured arm and Phoebe fast asleep, she wasn't sure how they'd be able to manage if something had happened to the crew. Lucy could fight, a little. But Phoebe was too fragile to even pick up a sword.

"Phoebe. I think they're done. Should we go back up?" Lucy prodded her again, hoping to get a response.

"Cap'n said to wait, Lulu." Phoebe reminded her in a soft and sleepy voice. Her eyes felt heavy, but she forced them to open nonetheless. She sat a little straighter and adjusted her cap. "So we need to wait."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon wore a somewhat vacant expression as he was barraged with Justin's fretful questions. He waited a moment for the child to calm down before speaking.

"I brought you here upon the King's request, Justinian. We will be going in to see him soon." SImon answered simply. He watched the child carefully, knowing well that this information could potentially upset him. "Your friends should be unharmed. The shadow creatures vanished as we made our departure." Simon was actually unsure whether or not this was true. But he knew that the child would be at ease, at least slightly, if he thought that his friends were safe.

With that, Simon pushed the doors in front of them open and stepped into the throne room. He bowed out of politeness as he entered. "Your Majesty, the child is here, as you requested."

Xavier exhaled slowly and nodded his head. The first step of his plan succeeded-- things were going quite well. So long as Celeste behaved, he assumed things would continue to go this well. "Bring him in."

[Ruu]

Zephyr nodded to the Captain at her request and quickly made his way below. Meanwhile, Ralph was standing in front of the still trapped guards. He grinned madly for a few moments before breaking into wild laughter. He knew it always unnerved opponents, though he didn't see why.

"Don't hurt us!" whimpered one of the soldiers, "We were only following orders!"

"Why were you attacking our ship?" barked Ralph, "We haven't broken any laws! Though I'm about to if I don't get any straight answers."

"W-we were just checking for contraband, standard inspection," squealed one of the guards.

Ralph narrowed his eyes, about to speak before he heard the Captain ask about Justin.

"I...didn't see him after we got separated during the fight," said Ralph slowly before turning to the guards, "You wouldn't happen to know about a young boy named Justin, now would you? Answer me truthfully, and I'll let you go. Otherwise..."

He held up his hand, and it lit with a terrifying fire. The soldiers were silent for a moment until one cried out, unable to take the fear.

"We were sent to capture a boy named Justin! Our Captain's probably taking him back to the palace as we speak. Now please let us go," wailed the soldier.

"Kidnapping? A young child! Why...I outta..." growled Ralph, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself, freeing them from the fire, "You're lucky that a promise is a promise. Get out of here before I change my mind. And think about who you've allied yourself with, a child kidnapper!"

Ralph took a few deep breaths before facing Larry and Charlie, "That old King thinks he can do whatever he wants. Why do you think they'd take Justin? I'd like to send that King to a fiery death if he's harmed a hair on his head."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zephyr quietly made his way below, smiling gently at Phoebe and Lucy. Leave to Phoebe to almost be fast asleep, even at a time like this. He was like her in many ways, though today his nap had been interrupted by those silly bird shadows.

"Hello ladies," he said softly, "The threat is gone. It's safe to go back up now. The shadow creatures just suddenly disappeared."

He frowned as he thought about that. Why had the creatures disappeared? They certainly hadn't been winning the fight. Had someone else intervened? Had it been the presence of the guards? Or something completely different? It was a riddle he wished he could solve at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin looked slightly relieved when Simon said his friends were unharmed, but there was still a knot of worry in his heart. There had been so many...But then, he realized that if Simon hadn't brought him here out of kindness, then...His words confirmed Justin's thoughts. The King, his Uncle, wanted to see him again. After practically driving him from the palace, why would his Uncle Xavier want to see him again? Justin certainly didn't want to see him.

"Please, Sir Simon," he pleaded, "Please take me back. I don't want to be here."

Unfortunately, Simon didn't hear him as he entered the throne room to announce that Justin was there. Simon came back a few moments later to lead him to the King. Justin looked up at his Uncle with wide eyes, refusing to bow even though he knew it was probably expected of him. How could his Uncle take him away from everyone he loved? What could he want with him? His eyes searched for a friendly face, that of his Aunt Celeste, but she was nowhere to be seen. He contemplated whipping up a storm in the middle of the throne room and trying to escape, but the King and Simon both had powers and would probably be able to counter any spell he could cast in his weakened state.

"What...do you want with me, Your Majesty?" he asked softly, trying to keep his body from trembling.

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