Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 32: The Round Table (Round 4)

Chapter 32: The Round Table (Round 4)

Jim wanted to kill everybody.

He wanted to kill the royal advisers for hounding King Arthur. He wanted to kill Headmaster Mickey for allowing them. He wanted to kill Flynn Rider for his dumb commentary. He wanted to kill Admiral Triton for the 'I-hate-You-and-You-hate-Me' stare-down contest. He wanted to kill B.E.N. for incessantly hugging him. He wanted to kill Tinkerbell for insulting Wendy. He wanted to kill Wendy for not bitch slapping Tinkerbell. He wanted to kill Peter Pan (that was an obvious – Jim always wanted to kill Peter), for the screwy, secret signals he was sending Wendy (and for the unsavory way he was leering at her).

Jim wanted to kill Eric for flirting with Ariel. He wanted to bring Eric back to life and kill him again for putting his grubby hands on her. And Jim wanted to kill himself for not actually killing Eric. He should have killed him. He should have killed him the second he touched Ariel.

Basically, there were two people on Jim's 'Okay Not To Kill' list: Morph and King Arthur.

"You've seen the Wishing Star?" Jim addressed Arthur. "How?"

"Merlin's telescope." said Arthur. "Before disappearing, Merlin said something was wrong with the star, perhaps black magic. Do you remember Simba?"

Jim nodded. Simba had been a lion cub when Jim attended Fantasia School for the Magically Skewed. When their classmates picked from The Magic Bag of Tricks, Simba had been granted the magical ability to 'hear stars talking' – including the Wishing Star.

"We asked Simba to listen to the Wishing Star." Arthur explained. "Apparently it's in pain. What's more...Simba heard something about a prophesy."

"Another one?!" Flynn elbowed Admiral Triton. "Geezum this star is a mouthy little idgit!"

Admiral Triton growled. Clearly, he thought Flynn was a mouthy little idgit.

"What did the prophesy say?" asked Jim.

"That we don't know." admitted Arthur. "The Wishing Star only gave bits and pieces. After all – it is broken. It hadn't much strength to talk."

"Hold up!" Peter tapped his dagger on the table. "The Wishing Star talked to Simba? As in spoke? As in is alive? As in like a person?"

"As in duh." Jim frostily replied. "Stars are living creatures. They're just like seashells, but without an animal inside. A star's outer shell – the part that shines – is the animal. So when idiots break into the Outworld and stab a star's crust – it hurts."

Peter balanced a palm over his dagger hilt. "Still crying about that, are we? Come on, the Wishing Star is dead. Not like I was dirty dancing with the stars or anything...Mr. Star GRINDER."

Peter's connotation was clear, and everyone had a mental image. However, no one dared snicker – there was a reason Jim had survived the Outerworld alone. He was a fighter; and he did not fight fair.

"Star Grinder means to crush, or grind, stars into stardust." Jim said. He looked ready to grind Peter into stardust. "Not the dance. Star Grinder is a lordship title given by the Queen of the Etherium."

Peter grinned wickedly. "WhatEVER you say."

Arthur attempted to gloss over the awkward moment.

"Etherium? What is that?"

Scowling, Ariel rubbed her fishbowl.

"And who is the Queen?" asked Flounder.