The following morning, Treeville was full of its inhabitants coming to bid me, Willow, and Emma a safe journey. Mayor Con made me swear on my life that I would protect Willow at all costs, which I did so in an unwavering manner. Marcus Metson gave me a sour sort of look, like he couldn't stand the fact that his girlfriend wanted to come with me on my quest. This gave me some satisfaction. Jackson Scorch decided to tag along as well, but only because he didn't like the "amount of green" in Treeville. A kind old lady told me she had a son in the Hark Kingdom by the name of Rogin, and asked if I could say hi to him for her. I agreed.

Within moments, we were off and set for the Hark Kingdom. I was thinking how long it must have been since I was last there, behind the castle walls... A couple months? It felt that way. I couldn't wait to see Simon and tell him all about my journey. I really couldn't wait to see Vex, my hairy monster friend, and I had hope he was out of his cage. Then again...

What would everyone say when they found out I hadn't defeated the darkness, conquered the Crooked Realm? Would they be disappointed, or angry? I couldn't bear to think what they'd say, knowing they wasted all their hope and prayers on me, all their time and energy. Suddenly, heading straight for the Hark Kingdom didn't seem like a good idea.

"Everything all right, Dylan?" Emma asked me. "You have that look... Like something is terribly wrong."

"I'm just worried what your father will say when he discovers I've failed," I said.

"Oh, come on." She tried to console me as she placed a hand on my back. "You did solid enough for someone who's inexperienced and young."

"I guess so," I said through a sigh. "But still, I practically and let myself be crushed by Thwart. I didn't even try to get up, try to help myself survive."

"You were hurt, Dylan," Emma said firmly. "Nobody in those conditions would've been able to lift a finger. The fact that you're alive and breathing, standing right in front me, walking--it's incredible. You did marvelous on your own, but now with all this help and training, you'll do even better. You will succeed this time. I know it."

A warmth passed over me. I smiled at Emma. She smiled back, and nothing else seemed to matter but the way her perfect lips curled into a sort of grin, the way she looked at me, the way her beautiful blue eyes swarmed and swirled like an ocean, the way her lemon-colored hair blew with the wind. Everything about Emma was special. I loved her with every inch of my soul. I just... Didn't know how to express my feelings. Especially since I didn't know if she felt the same way.

"Well, look." She pointed a finger. "We're almost there. I can see the turrets and towers, and--oh! Those lovely red flags. And the flowers! They're flourishing!"

Surely enough, a large castle came into view, sitting atop a small hill, overlooking a wondrous village bustling with the residents of Hark. I could see a mother and her two children conversing in the marketplace, I could see an elf and a fairy playing tag with each other, I could smell that same magical smell of steaming palace food.

"Look!" someone said as we approached the stands. "It's Princess Emma!"

Onlookers gasped as they fixed their eyes on the four of us. "Is it really her? King Richard's going to have a fit when he sees the state of her hair!"

"Look at her clothes..." said a girl with red hair. "Truly not the look of a royal."

"And look who's with her!" said a boy with wide eyes. "It's the Chosen One!"

"Wow!"

"Do you think he defeated the Crooked King?"

"Look at his clothes. The princess seems like a darling compared to him."

"She is a darling, Nate. Look at those precious eyes."

"And who are those two next to them? Strangers, it seems?"

"Prisoners, perhaps?"

"Ahem," said the owner of a thunderous voice from afar.

We turned. My heart was racing. Standing there, looking bulky and imperial as ever, was King Richard. His big brown beard had grown a few inches of grey, and his dark blue eyes were full of emotion and worry.

"Welcome home," he grunted.

~~~

Dinner was stiff. Not a voice and hardly a breath filled the air as it was wrung with silence. Emma sat as far away from her father as possible, as though to avoid furious confrontation. I couldn't blame her. King Richard was steaming with rage. He could explode at any second.

As dinner was provided by Marian the maid, a conversation finally struck.

"So, how was the journey?" Queen Charlotte asked.

The broken silence seemed to have caught everyone off guard.

"Fine, I suppose," I said. "I still have all my limbs, at least."

No one but the Queen laughed at this. "Oh, how silly. It is wonderful to see you once more, Dylan."

"Almost as amazing to see you, Queen Charlotte," I said politely.

Still, no one but me and the Queen had spoken. And no one had touched their food. I didn't think a father could really hold this much of a grudge toward his daughter. I at least thought King Richard would be happy to see Emma again, but instead he kept giving her bitter looks every now and then, not daring to lock a single eye with her.

And suddenly I felt bad. I was the reason Emma ran away. I was the reason she almost bled to death. My stomach sunk to my knees.

"Explain yourself," King Richard spoke unexpectedly. His voice boomed all throughout the dining hall, echoing off of the walls and vibrating in my ears.

Emma looked up. "I... I never meant to disobey you, father. I only meant to assist Dylan."

"But you went against my word," he said. "That shan't be ignored."

"But of course," said Emma. "I'll do whatever-- clean the dungeons, scrub the showers--"

"What will doing the work of a handmaid teach you, Emma?" questioned the King. "How do I know wiping cages will do you any good? No, what you need is to focus on your studies, never go on any quests, and... Never leave this castle!"

"Richard," Queen Charlotte intervened. "Don't you think you're being rather harsh on Emma? She made a mistake. All humans do."

"And now she is paying for such," said King Richard.

"Imprisoning me won't help, father!" Emma squeaked, on the verge of tears. "Locking me up for the rest of my life-- it won't solve anything! I'll only grow more and more rebellious and I promise you this when I say it: I will find a way out! I will not be your pet to keep in a birdcage. So either you throw me in the dungeons or you let me live my life because I am no longer a little girl!"

I was shocked, but also astonished. I didn't think Emma had the courage to say those things to her father, and I was honestly proud of her. She was right. She wasn't a little girl, and she did pretty amazingly on her own out there. She wasn't a pet or a prisoner. She was Princess Emma of the Hark Kingdom, an adventurer and a hero.

Deadly silence passed. The King was prepared to burst. I braced for impact. So did the rest of the diners at the table.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT?" King Richard roared. "GO ON, THEN. GET KILLED. GET SLAUGHTERED BY SOME WILD BEASTS OR THROWN INTO A PIT OF LAVA. GET MURDERED BY A WANDERING HAG OR EATEN BY A WEREWOLF. BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS, DON'T BE UPSET WITH ME! WHEN IT'S ALL TOO MUCH FOR YOU, DON'T COME CRYING HOME BECAUSE THE QUEST WAS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE! DON'T SAY, "DAD, WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP ME?" BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO STOP YOU, BUT YOU WON'T LISTEN! GO, EMMA. BE MY GUEST. BUT DON'T BLAME IT ON ME WHEN IT'S YOUR FUNERAL."

He slammed the table with his meaty fist, got up, and stormed out of the dining hall. Emma was shrieking with sadness as waterfalls of tears streamed down her face. Willow got up to comfort her. The Queen ran after King Richard, leaving me and Jackson to stare awkwardly at each other.

~~~

That night was hectic. The Queen and King's argument could be heard from a mile away. Emma was still sobbing like crazy, Willow at her side, and Jackson tried to find a room away from the mess. I stuck with Emma, trying to console her, but nothing seemed to work. No matter what I said, she just kept crying. I felt really bad now.

"It's okay," I kept saying. "It's not your fault. And besides, he can't be mad forever. He'll get over it eventually."

"No, he won't!" Emma would say. "He'll never get over it! He's infuriated with me!"

"He's just upset, that's all," tried Willow. "And either way, you were really brave for standing up to him like that. I know I wouldn't have the guts to do so."

"Willow's right," I said. "What you did back there was a huge step in proving your maturity."

"And ruining my relationship with my father!" Emma choked. "He'll never ever forgive me! Never!"

~~~

The following morning, Emma was still so emotional that I could hardly focus on any training. I had planned to practice magical archery with Simon and swordsmanship with Jake, but now those were postponed due solely to the fact that I felt horrible for Emma. Me and Willow stayed with her the whole day through, doing all we could to make her feel better.

After a while, our efforts became hopeless. Willow promised me she would take care of Emma and insisted I go train for the quest. I felt bad leaving her, but I had to prepare unless I wanted to be Umbra's dinner.

I met Simon in the Sapphire Fields, a section that had been recently built on the side of the castle. Simon said it was the best place for fighting because it was solitary and quiet, which was the best kind of environment for learning.

First, he told me all there was to know about magic archery. He said there were five types of Elemental Arrows used by Archers: Shock Arrows, Venom Arrows, Frost Arrows, Flame Arrows, and Boom Arrows.

"Shock Arrows are deadly thunderous shafts used to electrify your enemies. One simple galvanic strike can paralyze your foes, opening an opportunity for you to finish the fight. Venom Arrows are lethal darts that can poison your enemy with the snap of a finger. Even one droplet of Nightshade is enough to knock them right out of their souls. Frost Arrows are frigid and bitter, and one jab of their icy tip is enough to freeze your enemy. Flame Arrows are fiery weapons that can burn and smolder everything in your path with a heat as the Sun. And last, but certainly not least, Boom Arrows are explosive and deadly to even ogres with their ability to sting your enemies and crumble them into nothing but a pile of ashes."

I gaped at those last words. If anything could stop Umbra, it had to be Bomb Arrows.

"Yes, quite astounding indeed," chuckled Simon. "Now, turn around, if you will."

I whipped around and found myself facing five three lined up targets. One was painted a bright yellow with thunderbolts encircling it. The one directly to the right of it was painted purple and magenta with bottles dripping liquids of deadly poison onto it. The one to the right of that was painted icy blue with horrifying yetis streaked across it. The one to right of that one was painted like a fire, different shades of red creeping from the bottom to the top. The last one on the very right was painted with blacks and reds equally, and gave the impression of a bomb exploding.

"Wow," I said. "What are these for?"

"What do you think?" Simon said, setting a large colorful box on the ground. "Simply being knowledgable of magic archery doesn't make you a master at it. You have to practice."

My eyes lit up as Simon opened the box. Inside, looking majestic in every way possible, were five spectacular arrows, one yellow, one violet, one teal, one red, and one black.

"Amazing!" I tried grabbing at one, but Simon smacked my hand away.

"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed. "These are incredibly dangerous, Dylan. Even so much as touching as touching the wood shafts would do astonishing harm to you. No, to notch your arrows onto your bows, you must levitate them first."

He demonstrated exactly what that meant by grabbing a bow called The Eagle from the box with one hand and waving his other in such a way that the Shock Arrow lifted from the box and latched onto the bow. With much caution, Simon handed the bow to me and instructed me to aim for the yellow target in the distance.

I raised my hands and aimed for the target. I could feel the energy emanating from the arrow coursing through my skin. I looked straight at the center circle of the target and set my mind on hitting it. Then without much effort, I let the arrow go and saw it whizz past before I could even breathe again. It moved at the speed of light and not only hit the center circle directly, but sizzled the entire target off until pieces of burnt canvas fell to the ground.

I stood, astounded, and Simon watched me with glee. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Enthralling," I said, now anxious to experiment with the other arrows.

"You're a fast learner," said Simon.

"I suppose that's a must when you're the Chosen One," I said smartly.

~~~

After a long day of practicing magic archery with Simon and sword-fighting with Jake, we finally returned to the castle for supper.

As soon as we reached the dining hall, we knew something was off. Willow was sitting on one side of the table, crying rivers of tears. Queen Charlotte was sobbing like her life depended on it, and King Richard looked apprehensive.

"Oh no..." I crossed over to the table and my worst fears came true.

Everybody in the castle must have been there... All but except one person...

...Emma.