Love in the Little Kingdom

Love in the Little Kingdom Part 15

Holly pulled out her own wand and pointed it at the little leaf boat, she would get it back to shore!

"No, Princess Holly, please!" One of the elves on board held up his hands in panic. "I mean, we can row from here."

Holly lowered her wand.

"Are you sure?" The elves smiled nervously at each other, gripping oars.

"Oh yes! Don't worry, Princess Holly, because we're elves!" They blew their horns and set to rowing towards the shore, faster than Holly could have believed possible. She was glad, but there were more boats and people to save.

"Over here, Holly!" the King waved her over to another leaf boat that was full with passengers and the King and another elf were pushing it towards the water. Holly flew in low towards it just as a massive wave washed up the shore of the island and splashed her toes.

"Holly look out!" Ben called from above and Holly flicked her head around just in time to see Big Bad Barry appearing behind the wave, his mouth gaping open wide to snatch her up. It was a black cave, seemingly bottomless and ready to swallow her hole.

Her vision blurred as she was jerked upwards. Gaston II flew at her side and Ben was holding her arm. He had caught her and pulled her free just before she would have been eaten by Big Bad Barry.

"Ben!" she called to him and he spared her a glance and a smile.

"Sorry I'm late." He said and they both laughed.

"That's okay, you're here now. Let me go!" She said and Ben released her arm. She flapped her wings and drew alongside the ladybird.

Below them on the shore, Barry thrashed on the shore, spraying mud and water everywhere. In trying to catch Holly, he had beached himself and was struggling to get back into the water. Unfortunately, the leaf boat that King Thistle had been trying to help was in the path of Barry's enormous thrashing body. The trout was easily the length of four leaf boats and when its massive tail struck the boat it sent both it and the King flying.

"Papa!" Holly cried, watching her father land in the water shortly followed by the boat, which landed directly on top of him. She and Ben flew towards the boat as it bobbed on the rough water. The elves on board clung to each other and to the sides of the boat, shouting in panic. Holly saw that her father the King had been knocked unconscious by the falling boat. His body floated on the surface, deathly still.

"Papa!" Holly screamed in terror and flew straight for him.

"Holly look out!" Ben cried, pointing to where Big Bad Barry had recovered and returned himself to the water and was heading straight for the King's prone body, hell bent on eating him.

"No!" Holly grabbed hold of her father's sodden robes and tried to lift him out of the water, her wings beating as fast as a hummingbird's.

"Holly, I'll grab the King, you do something about Big Bad Barry!" Ben shouted, flying in low on Gaston II so that the Ladybird could scoop up the fairy king in his front legs.

"Do what?" Holly said. Big Bad Barry was pushing a wall of water before him as he powered along.

"Use magic! Turn him into a newt!"

"I-!" Holly's mind raced with fear as she raised her wand. Could she really do magic properly for once? She was always so hopeless at magic but if she didn't do something, they were going to be eaten! "Abracadabra! Into a newt!"