Chapter 6: Patrol and Bonding
Firey stared down at the page in horror, shaking from what he had just read. He felt like throwing up, as he leaned against the table. "What have I done?"
He immediately stands straight up, running toward the library doors. Bursting through them, he noticed the outside had become a winter wasteland.
Everything was covered in snow, and none of the contestants could be seen. He ran back to his house, finding all of them there, talking to each other with worry.
Most of them glared at Firey when they saw him. He searched through the house to find Loser, as he was going to need his help. Firey sighed in relief when he saw him next to Cake.
"Loser I-" Loser gave him a disappointed look. "Firey, I really thought you would have known better than to do what you just did to Leafy." Firey groaned.
"I know! I know! I'm a terrible person! Just please listen!" Loser stared at him, a skeptical gleam in his eyes. Cake shifted uncomfortably, shivering slightly.
Loser pulled him closer, patting his back. "Okay, I'm listening." Firey sighed in relief. "You have such a way with words, I need you to build up a team to go find Leafy."
Loser stared at him, shocked. "Wait. You want me to help you build a team to find her?" Firey nodded. Loser was silent for a minute then smiled.
"Okay, she ran off towards the mountains, right? So we're going to need some strong members on the team." Firey nodded, a grateful smile on his face.
"Thank you so much! I'll be back in a bit!" He ran off, as Loser started to gather a team. Firey saw Tennis Ball and Golf Ball standing near TV, calculating something.
"If we don't get Leafy back, this storm could go on for 7 years!" Golf Ball said, looking at the chart on the screen. The bar rised higher to the top, bursting out of the top of TV's head.
"Make that...possibly forever." She corrected, as the bar continued to rise to the top of the ceiling. She spotted Firey, glaring at him. "How could you pull such a stupid stunt?!" She yelled at him, as Tennis Ball held her back.
"I know! Okay?!" Firey screamed back, shoving the book towards her. "I need you to do research on chapter 7 of this journal, it's important for when we bring Leafy back!"
Golf Ball sighed. "Fine. Leave me and Tennis Ball to our research now!" She said, pushing Firey out of the room. He sighed in relief, going back to find Loser.
Leafy sat at the head of the table, quietly observing her accidental creations. They were happily chatting, each of their unique personalities shining through.
Snow-Light would quietly giggle at Frost-Fight's boisterous remarks, while Cold-Shoulder would occasionally smile, and nod in response.
When Snow-Light and Cold-Shoulder would talk, usually about things that flew over Frost-Fight's head, he would stare between them with a confused, blank smile.
Leafy was just stunned. They really were alive. "Well my liege," Frost-Fight started, snapping her out of her thoughts, "now that the festival is over, shall I patrol around our borders?" He asked.
Leafy stared at him, noticing the adorable little smile on his face. There was no way she could say no to that face. She nodded. "Okay, but on one condition."
He got excited. "Yes, my liege?" She winced, then smiled. "Stop calling me "my liege", I'd rather you just call me Leafy instead." She looked at everyone.
"All of you." They stared at her in shock. Frost-Fight seemed the most shocked. "But isn't is treason to call a Queen by her first name?!" Leafy chuckled.
"It's not treason in my kingdom." Snow-Light smiled. "I-I'm okay with it i-if you are." Leafy nodded her head. "Of course!" Frost-Fight got up from the table, trusty sword in hand.
"I...can try...but it will be very difficult l...L-Lea...Lady Leafy!" He finally sputtered out, as he looked at Leafy with a proud smile. Leafy felt like crying.
He was so proud of himself! She couldn't help but feel proud of him too. "Good start! We'll get there eventually!" She praised, giving him a nod.
Frost-Fight gasped in delight, then ran out the door. "I WON'T DISAPPOINT, LADY LEAFY!" He yelled, as he left for patrol. Cold-Shoulder chuckled.
"He's a good kid, I see why you put him in charge of the team." He commented, leaning on the table. Snow-Light nodded, a slight blush on her face. "Y-Yeah."
Leafy smiled at the two of them. "How long do you think he'll be out?" She asked, looking toward the door. "Oh, it depends on if he finds any intruders." He answered.
Leafy got up from the table, pushing her chair in. "Then he probably won't be gone long." She told them. "Snow-Light, do you wanna prepare a story with me?"
Snow-Light gasped, and her eyes lit up. "R-Really?!" Leafy nodded. Snow-Light practically leapt up out of her seat. "I'll go get the books!" She ran up the stairs.
Cold-Shoulder chuckled. "Ah, I always liked her. Whenever you mention a story, that nervous stutter seems to just melt away..." He smiled.
"Are you going to do the special effects like always?" He asked. She looked at him in confusion. "What?" He grabbed his lute. "The special effects with your Ice Magic. During festivals like these, you've always insisted on being part of the action."
He looked at her, amusement in his eyes. "No matter how many festivals the townsfolk would dedicate to you, you always insisted on helping out."
She looked at him with confusion. What other festivals was he talking about? "Ah, I should probably go get ready." Leafy said, walking up the stairs to her chambers.
Once she was there, she closed the door, clenching her head. Leafy didn't just create life, she created life with false memories! How was she going to explain to them that they hadn't existed until today?!
Leafy took a deep breath in, and sighed. "Okay. You won't have to explain today, but maybe some day, when we all are really good friends...I'll tell them the truth." She decided.
She exited the room, excited to help with the story. "Until then, maybe I can find out what other false memories they might have." Once she reached the throne room, she waited for the others.
Frost-Fight slashed away at the icicles before him, clearing a path. He scoffed at them, smirking at how weak they were, and if you listened closely, you could almost hear him yell: "excelsior".
Even though he was supposed to be on patrol, he couldn't sense the presence of another person, hiding just beyond the trees. He was too focused on making a path.
"Once I am finished with this route, I will have an excellent over-view of the castle!" His eyes sparkled with delight, and he had a lopsided smile on his face.
"It would also make a lovely walking route... perhaps Snow-Light could accompany me on my patrols...with Lady Leafy's permission, of course."
He kicked down the last icicle, holding his sword over his shoulder. "There! That should do it!" He stood in a proud stance, raising his sword to the sky.
"HEAR ME NOW, CITIZENS OF THE EVIL VILLAGE!" He screamed, glaring at the air. "YOU ARE NOT TO SET FOOT TO THIS LAND, SO LONG AS YOU ARE ALLIED WITH THE BEAST!"
He lowered his sword, looking around the area. "HEED MY WARNINGS, OR PERISH UNDER MY BLADE!" Returning to his normal stance, he started to trek back up the mountain.
After he left, Four jumped out from the treetops, glaring at where he once stood. "Tsk." He places his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "The 'evil village' huh?" He smiled slightly, looking at the castle.
"That's accurate."
Back inside the castle, Leafy was waiting for Snow-Light. "Take your time." She said, as Snow-Light stared at the library walls. There weren't any books in the shelves, from what Leafy could see.
She couldn't help but worry about Snow-Light's health. "Fairy tales are too obvious, oh, but Sophie's World would fly right over Frost-Fight's head. No Shakespeare. Period." She critiqued each 'book' she would come across.
"Uh, Snow-Light? I don't know if you noticed...but-" Leafy started. "There aren't any books in these shelves? Oh I know, Lady Leafy." She responded, smiling at her. "But I can remember where each one was placed!"
She pointed to somewhere in the top middle section. "Alice in Wonderland is smack-dab in the middle!" Leafy looked at her curiously. Was it possible that there could have been any history books?
"Snow-Light, do you know where our history books were?" Leafy asked, wording her question carefully. Snow-Light's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "Of course! That's a splendid idea!"
She grabbed Leafy's hand, pulling her out of the room. "It's a festival after all! Stories of our battles would be enticing!" She said, as they both reached the throne room. Cold-Shoulder and Frost-Fight had been waiting for them.
She nodded at Leafy, who prepared her hands. "Gentlemen, we've decided on a story!" Snow-Light announced. "Tonight, we relive the tragic night...of the Battle Against the Beast." Leafy threw her hands into the air.
Somehow she knew exactly what to do. "It was a cold night, as smoke lingered in the air, and our troops were fighting the townsfolk... hell had broken loose, as the General tried to guide our precious Queen to safety."
"Half of our troops were dead, either shattered by the people, or worse...melted by the hands of the beast. He rampaged through the town, chasing after our precious leader. Jaws eager to crash down and tear her to shreds."
"With quick thinking, Cold-Shoulder sent the leader up the mountain, instructing a nearby guard to protect her. He was a rookie, but a damn fine rookie! Cold-Shoulder turned around, ready to fight against the beast."
"Pathetic fire-breather!" He shouted, pulling out his dagger. "I'm going to stop this nonsense once and for all!" He leapt at the beast, cutting several areas of the beast, but not without consequence."
"The beast managed to get a good shot at Cold-Shoulder, melting part of his face. Those that were left fled to the mountains, as the beast returned to the village to recover. Only two of the original guards were left."
"The only other person that survived was the royal Librarian. The Queen was devastated, as she cared for those troops like they were her own. She was in a depressive state for months, but she hid it."
"Behind the caring smile, was a broken heart shattered into pieces. She didn't just lose a friend, she lost her entire family." Snow-Light paused, noticing the tears in Leafy's eyes. "Perhaps I should tell the rest of this story another time."
She looked at her apologetically, as Leafy lowered her hands. Leafy slowly sank to the floor, sitting on her knees. When she felt a hand on her head, she looked up. The trio were staring at her, worried looks in their eyes.
Cold-Shoulder took his hand off, as Frost-Fight lifted her into his arms. She sobbed. "It's all my fault!" She started. "I'm so sorry!" Cold-Shoulder sighed. "Lady Leafy..." He cast a glance to Frost-Fight, who put her down.
He looked at Snow-Light, who started to lead Leafy to her chambers. "Us alone isn't going to help her condition." Cold-Shoulder finally admits, once she is out of the room.
"You should be on the lookout for the Adviser on your patrols..." He tsked, crossing his arms. "As much as I don't trust him, he did help her during the Annual Gala." He sighed. "We should have kept her from going..."
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(A/n): Sorry if the sentences sometimes don't make sense, autocorrect is changing a few words around behind my back >:(
Leafy is going to have to explain a lot when they find out they didn't exist til just recently!
But how did they get those false memories?
And that history sounds rough, but I wonder who the beast could possibly be? Jk I know it's pretty obvious-
Fun fact: this story was originally thought of before the split!
Now with the bonding out of the way, maybe we'll finally see someone arrive at the castle!
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading! :3
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