The Union of Peanut Butter and Jelly

A Plan Put Into Motion

The following day, after everyone had eaten breakfast, Celestine, Caddaric, Aimee, Athena, and Apollo began to pack up the caravan with their belongings. Along with the ten thousand chests filled with the antidote to make the long journey to Caddaric's kingdom and afterward to Aimee's kingdom. The first part of their plan was to head straight to the first plague victim's home so that Celestine could place a magical barrier around the well. That way, no one would be able to gain access to the well while administering the antidote to the entire population. Second, they would distribute the remedy to the Peanut Butter kingdom, from the poorest peasant to the wealthiest nobles.

Third, they would travel to the Jelly kingdom and administer the antidote the same way there. Fourth, they would return to the well, and Celestine would use her magic to contain the plague back into the vial with the same spell that her grandmother had created and used decades ago in the presence of the Archmage himself. Finally, once Celestine had handed the vial over to the Archmage, they would set up a trap and wait for Pelmazo and his allies to walk straight into it. "Are you sure you want to come with us?" Athena asked Celestine as they, along with Apollo, packed up the caravan with their belongings as Caddaric and Aimee brought out the last of the luggage. "I'm sure," Celestine said as she reassured Athena. "After all, I am the only one who can do the spell, and I sent Lord Socrates a message in a code that only he and I know to meet us in six weeks at the well."

"But what if our plan for Pelmazo doesn't work out?" asked Apollo. "Don't worry, if things start to go wrong, I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve," Celestine said with a rather sly smile. Once the caravan was all packed up, the small group immediately set out to save two kingdoms from a plague that a jealous and evil prince released. After a two-day trip, they all finally arrived in the Peanut Butter kingdom. They immediately put on their medical face masks and headed towards the first victim's home for Celestine to place the well's magic barrier. "You ready for this, Celestine?" Aimee asked the young sorceress. "I am ready," Celestine answered as she opened her grimoire up to the correct spell. "Alright, here I go!"

Celestine then raised her right hand and chanted the spell loudly and clearly. "This small and simple well. The deadly plague does dwell. I want to protect the people of this realm from a deadly fate. Place around a barrier to keep away all including a mate."

Once Celestine had completed the spell, and the barrier had gone up around the well, Athena and Apollo took her back to the caravan to rest as both Caddaric and Aimee gave the grieving family of the first victim vials of the antidote. "I can see that spell took a lot out of you," Athena told Celestine as they had tea in the caravan. "It usually does since it's a spell that I rarely use," Celestine said as she took a sip of her tea. "Why don't you go home and rest? We can easily handle everything from here," Apollo said as he tried to convince the sorceress to return to her family. 

Instead of agreeing with him, Celestine gave Apollo one of her stern looks before she stubbornly told him. "I cannot leave you all to deal with this yourselves, and I will not. I am the only one who can open the magical locks on my grandmother's grimoire, and I am the only one who can perform the spell. So the option of having me return home is out of the question."

Celestine immediately stood up and said to both Athena and Apollo as she put her face mask back on. "I am going to check on Caddaric and Aimee and see if they need any help." Once Celestine had left, Athena turned her attention towards Apollo and remarked. "She is quite stubborn, isn't she?" Apollo sighed and replied. "Yes, she indeed is!"