Elverum's Peak (A Craig of the Creek Sadfic)

Elverum's Peak

After a while, the current grew strong enough that the Queen's squires didn't have to paddle.

"Alright," said the Queen. "It'll be a while before we reach the Rat King's territory. Might as well have a quick snack break."

She opened up the cooler and tossed everyone a cereal bar.

"Ah, what?" JP complained. "Don't you have any candy or something?"

"For us Sewer dwellers," said the Queen while chewing on her cereal bar, "it's important that we maintain a diet of complex carbs and proteins. It's good for swimming. But we have other snacks. We've also got dried fruit and mixed nuts."

JP grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Eh," said the Queen, shrugging. "Suit yourself."

Craig also started eating his. "C'mon, JP. It's tastes perfectly fine."

JP grumbled again.

Craig swallowed and said, "Alright, I think I've got a leftover choco roll." He reached into his bag and pulled out a sealed choco roll. "Here." He handed it to JP who immediately horked it down, smearing chocolate around his mouth.

"You got anymore?" he asked through a mouthful of his roll.

Craig rummaged through his bag but was unable to find anymore. "Uh, no. Sorry."

JP gulped. "But I'm still hungry. I haven't eaten since this morning."

"There's still this." Craig held up the cereal bar.

"Ah, forget it."

Craig looked over at Kelsey, still sulking in the corner with her cape over her head.

"You want anything, Kelsey?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Yeah, uh, that's okay. Totally okay with me."

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a giant mesh gate. It was much darker on the other side. So much so that it looked like an empty void.

"We're here," said the Queen.

The raft bumped into the gate.

"Alright," she said to her squires. "We're going to have to lift up the gate." She turned to Craig and JP. "After we lift it up, you guys are going to have to paddle the raft through, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," confirmed Craig.

"Mm hm," JP mumbled, giving a salute with his oversized sleeve.

The Queen and her squires got out of the raft and hopped into the water. It went up to the middle of her thighs and the waists of her squires. She went to the center of the gate, reached down under water, and grabbed hold of it. Her squires did the same.

"On three," she said. "One. Two. Three!"

All three mustered all of their strength to lift the gate up. The gate creaked and groaned as it was lifted. Sweat beaded down the forehead of the Queen and the veins in her arms and neck bulged.

"Almost... got it..." she groaned as she lifted the gate up to her neck.

Then, three managed to hold the gate over their heads. The Queen panted in exhaustion. She turned to Craig and JP in the raft.

"Now!"

Craig and JP grabbed the oars and paddled as hard as they could in between the Queen and the squire on the right, passing under the gate.