Shrek The Third: The Would Be King & I [Book 3]

Chapter 22: The Would Be King!

Chapter 22: The Would Be King!

*Willow's/Anastasia's POV*

"Everybody! Stop!"

Everybody gasped and looked to where the voice came from.

Someone shined a spotlight on Charming, who obviously didn't look too happy. "Oh, what is it now?!"

"Artie?" Shrek asked in surprise.

I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Artie."

Artie jumped from where he stood by the spotlight onto a fake cloud prop, then he leapt onto another.

He then jumped and grabbed onto a rope and went sliding down it, making a dwarf release one of The Three Little Pigs before he jumped onto a fake tree prop and finally landing on the floor.

He stood in front of Shrek and I and faced Charming confidently. "Who really thinks we need to settle things this way?"

Every single villain literally raised their hand up.

Artie looked at all of them a little confused. "You're telling me you just wanna be villains your whole lives?"

All of them slowly lowered their hands, and Hook spoke up for them. "But we are villains! It's the only thing we know."

"Didn't you ever wish you could be something else?" Artie asked.

"Well, it's easy for you to say. You're not some evil enchanted tree." One of the trees said.

"Oh, you morons! Don't listen to him!" Charming stood in front of the two talking trees and pointed his sword in our direction. "Attack them!"

Thankfully, the tree next to the one who just spoke placed a hand over Charming's mouth and dragged him back, making him drop his sword. "What Steve's trying to say here is it's hard to come by honest work when the whole world's against you."

"Right, thanks Ed." Said Steve.

"Okay, fair enough. You're right. I'm not a talking tree." Artie admitted. "But, you know, a good friend once told me that just because people treat you like a villain, or an ogre..."

He turned around and looked at Shrek. "...or just some loser...it doesn't mean you are one."

Artie looked at me and gave me a soft smile. "And the person I care about most once said: 'Don't doubt yourself. If you do, you'll only think of negative thoughts.' Just because you're a villain from a fairytale, doesn't mean you actually have to be one."

My eyes went wide in surprise and I gasped a little. He remembered what I told him before we saw Merlin?

"The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself." Artie faced the villains again. "If there's something you really want, or someone you really want to be, then the only person standing in your way..." He pointed to Rumplestiltskin to emphasise the point. "...is you."

Rumplestiltskin pointed to himself, looking very confused. "Me?"

"Get him, lads!" Some of the villains misunderstood the message and went to grab Rumplestiltskin, but Artie stopped them before they could do anything to him. "No, no, no!"

The villains looked at Artie, waiting for him to continue. "What I mean is, each of you is standing in your own way."

The villains backed away from Rumplestiltskin and now understood what Artie was getting at. "Oh!"

A headless knight stepped forward and sniffed. I'm not even going to bother asking how he's able to do that without a head. "I've always wanted to play the flute."

The Evil Queen removed her dagger from aunt Lillian's neck and smiled. "I'd like to open up a spa...in France!"

Hook took a couple of steps forward and surprisingly looked a little shy. "I grow daffodils. And...they're beautiful."

That was the moment Hook and all the other villains in the room decided to drop their weapons and release everyone. They were finally being a part of the good side for once.

"Artie?"

He turned around and smiled at me. "Anna."

"No!" Everyone stopped and turned their attention to Charming.

Charming retrieved his sword and growled as he ran towards Shrek and I. Shrek swung the chains onto the sword and started pulling on it before swinging Charming around. Charming smirked and went to stab Shrek, making him groan in pain.

I turned to Zero. "Could you help me out of these chains? They're kinda hurting me a little, and I want to kick Charming's butt."

Zero smirked and walked over to me and swung his sword down to the chains off before he swiftly removed the handcuffs. "There you go."

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

"A new era...finally begins!" Charming yelled, his voice echoing so that everyone could hear loud and clear.

Shrek glanced at Artie, Fiona, Alice, Zero, and I and smirked. I gave him a knowing smirk in return before we turned our attention back to Charming. "Now, all of you, bow before your King!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." I spoke confidently as I made my way over to stand next to Alice and Zero.

Shrek creeped up behind Charming and cleared his throat, grabbing his attention. He held Charming's sword up and smirked. "You need to work on your aim." He grabbed Charming by the shirt and lifted him up.

"This was supposed to be my happily ever after!" Charming cried.

"Well, I guess you need to keeping looking..." He looked at Fiona and smiled at her before looking back at Charming and shook his head. "...because I'm not giving up mine."

I looked at Artie and gave him a confident smile. "And I'm not giving up mine, neither."

Shrek threw Charming over to Dragon, and all she had to do was give the fake tower a light tap with the end of her tail for it to fall down on him.

Charming looked up in fear. "Mummy?" The fake tower finally crashed onto him, and I could only assume he was dead...but let's not dwell on that.

I'm surprised the crown wasn't crushed underneath the fake tower along with Charming because it rolled across the stage until Artie stopped it with his foot before he picked it up and looked down at it in thought.

Shrek walked towards Artie and smiled at him. "It's yours if you want it, you know." Artie turned to smile at Shrek. "But this time, it's your choice."

"He's right." Artie looked behind him to face me. I smiled at Artie proudly. "Would you like to be King of Far, Far, Away, Arthur Pendragon?"

Artie looked back down at the crown before looking at up the crowed determinedly.

He took a couple of brave steps forward and lifted the crown up before carefully placing it on his head.

Everyone cheered loudly, happy that they have a new King, and I know for a fact that he will be one of the best.

The villains lifted Artie up and chanted his name over and over again. "Artie! Artie! Artie!"

Alice grinned. "You know, this day didn't turned out so bad after all."

Zero groaned in exasperation. "You're telling me. I had to put up with Donkey, Puss In Boots and the others come up with a ridiculously long name for our little 'team'."

I chuckled. "Sounds like a lot of fun-UGH!" I placed a hand over my heart and leaned against Alice, squeezing my eyes shut tightly from the pain. I felt a cold chill down my spine all of a sudden.

I heard Alice gasp and scream. "WILLOW!"

**To Be Continued**