If It Means A Lot To You

Chapter One

      Kellin awoke to the sound of scratching at the door, now completely destroyed. The wood, once showing a beautiful picture of the queen herself, now was all but splinters and toothpicks. The golden chandelier now lay on the floor beside the bed, broken and bent. Most of the artwork hanging on the walls was now torn and in the corner, Wet and messy. The whole room was quite messy, Pillows were torn, and their soft feathers strewn about. The room wasn't just messy, it was a disaster, and it didn't take a sorcerer to be able to tell.

      "Well boy, sure seems like you had fun. Just do me a favor and tell me how you got here, huh?" Kellin said to his Pan-Dog friend, who was now laying beside him on the bed.
Loud yelling emanated from the hall, and echoed throughout. Kellin quickly ran out to investigate what was going on. "The bloody hell is happening?" He exclaimed, just as a knight came rushing in to aid him.
"Something broke into the palace! And it headed this way!" The knight said, enthusiastically.
"I'm here to keep you safe until the perpetrator is found!"

      Kellin let out a long sigh. He knew it was Panzie who broke in, and explained this to the knight. Who wasn't as shocked as to how a Pan-Dog avoided so many guards, and more so shocked as to how a Pan-Dog existed in the first place.
"I'm sorry sir, did you say Pan-Dog?" The knight exclaimed in surprise...

"Yes, I did." Answered Kellin.

"...How does that even exist?..."

      Kellin felt like being a bit of a joker.
"Well, you see, when a mommy panda and a daddy dog love each other very much..."

       The knight wasn't putting up with any nonsense, "The real story please, mister Tharcey."

Kellin sighed once more.

"I'm a sorcerer. I create weirder creatures than this under the queen's orders all the time..." Kellin proclaimed. "... make sense?"

The knight was satisfied. "Yes, mister Tharcey."

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      Kellin and the knight came bursting through the throne room doors, before walking up to the queen, where they both bowed down to her majesty.

      "Have you found the intruder yet, Sir Pterry?" The queen said in her beautiful, yet hearty voice.
"I'd hate to have to throw you into the dungeon over something so simple."

      Sir Pterry looked up at the queen, who was wearing an absolutely gorgeous dark blue dress. Lace edged the seams of the cloth, while you could just barely see the black undergarments she bore underneath. She was wearing the same white diamond pendant as the day before, actually, she was wearing the same white diamond pendant she ALWAYS wore. It was a gift from her late husband, who died of a stroke two years ago.

      Sir Pterry was wearing his full set if armour, minus the helmet. His sword was sheathed upon his left hip, so he could easily draw it with his right hand if need be. After all, a creature DID manage to break and enter into the royal palace.

      "Yes, my Queen. I did catch the intruder. It was mister Tharcey's pet Pan-Dog, Panzie..."

       "Panzie, huh? Isn't that the little ball of fluff you brought with you on your last visit, Kellin?"

      "Yes, ma'am. He's kind of like my son. Except not. I love him like one."

      "I understand, well I cant execute that cute fella. Anyways, You did a good job, Sir Pterry. You shall be generously rewarded. You may pick any one item from the royal vault to keep for yourself."

      "M-my queen... are y-you sure? That s-seems a little too generous..." said sir Pterry.

      "Do you want the reward or not? Be sure, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. We have plenty enough riches to spare. The farmers have produced more crops this season than any other, flooding the kingdom with money. Arundel is the richest its ever been." The Queen smiled on one side of her face once she finished speaking.

      "That's right, we're growing in wealth at a steady rate..." proclaimed Sir Pterry,
"and it's all thanks to your husb-"

      "Do not speak of my husband unless you want to be publicly executed!" Screamed the Queen.

      "I'm sorry, but please do not mention my husband. He's gone..."

     He was a good man, his name was Elquidin. Elquidin Humphreys.

      It is unknown if Humphreys is also the last name of the queen. Elquidin was the only person other than her majesty herself who knew any of the queens names. When he died, the secret died with him... that was two years ago. He died of a stroke while sitting upon his throne, looking out over his friends. Well, they were technically his servants, but he treated them as and considered them, friends.

      "Guards! Open the vault!" Said the queen, and two men quickly rushed over to the two big stone doors on the right hand side of the room.
They each inserted a key into two locks on either side, and turned them in opposite directions. The door began to open inward, revealing large piles and stacks of gold and silver bars and coins, many fine pieces of jewelry lay hanging on the walls, diamonds and pearls and opals riddled the floor, and the more you looked the more you could spot.

      Sir Pterry entered the vault, and looked around. He wanted to find the perfect piece. He quickly spotted a bracelet, with stones of garnet and rubies aligned perfectly. He picked it up, and told the queen "I choose this bracelet as my reward."

      "Very good choice. I assume you picked that bracelet out as a gift for your wife, Amanda. Correct?"

      "Yes, my queen. She's going to adore it. I don't think she'll ever take it off."
Proclaimed Pterry.

      The queen smiled at the selflessness of Sir Pterry. "Now pick something for yourself."

      "Y-yes my queen." Pterry said, before grabbing himself a sapphire ring. "I'm off to give this bracelet to my wife, I shall be back tomorrow, my queen." Pterry said, as he walked through the huge doors, and out of the vault, and throne room.

      "So, Kellin, are you ready to replace the forces we lost?"

"Ready when you are."

      "Good, then you may head home, back to your cottage. Your horse was taken to the royal stables. She's been taken care of by the stable boy, Marcius."

"Marcius? I thought Marcius was a chef?"

      The queen sighed, "That's right, Marcius was a chef, until we caught him sneaking food from the kitchen. So, he's been transferred to being stable boy. Anyways, go on. I have some business with the neighboring kingdom of Chichester. Chichester and Winchester are at war, and we may need to get involved. This is why it is urgent you replace these forces immediately."

      "Yes, my queen. As you wish." Said Kellin, before going to the stables to get his horse, Delilah, and ride home.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

      Pterry is pronounced Terry. The P is silent, like in Pterodactyl. I added the P to make the name look more medieval. All kingdoms mentioned in this story were real kingdoms in medieval England. -Gabriel
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      Upon arriving home, Kellin knew he had to get to work on replacing the special forces that were lost fending off the dragon. He first started with the lycans, simply because he wanted to, bit first he had to obtain two wolves. Instead of risking his life going into the wild to attempt to capture two wild wolves, Kellin decided to buy them from smugglers. Usually this would get someone banished from Arundel, but seeing as he was the kingdom's only sorcerer, even if the queen somehow found out, she wouldn't banish him. She could not afford to.

       Kellin trekked to the smugglers market, which only the worst of the worst of Arundel's criminals knew about. Deep, in the thickest part of the woods, where many hunters and otherwise dangerous or feral people live. Although he was irreplaceable, he still had to be careful. Many of said hunters would enjoy a sorcerer's head over their mantle for them to look at.

      He made sure not to stray from the paths, until he finally reached the market after a few hours.

      "Well, well. If it isn't Arundel's very own sorcerer, Kellin Tharcey.
What brings you 'ere?" Said a man in a blood stained jacket.

      "I'm looking to purchase two wolves. I need to create lycans to replace the ones lost a few days ago."

      The man looked intrigued. "Lost? What do you mean lost?"

      "Dead." Kellin responded. "Killed fending off a dragon at a small farm north of here."

      "Figures." Said the man. "Anyway, if its smuggled animals you need, I'm the guy to talk to. You need wolves, correct?"

      Kellin remained vigilant. This man didn't look very trustworthy.
"That's right. Two of them"

      "Well, I can supply you two wolves."

      "That's great!" Kellin exclaimed. "But what exactly do you want in return?"

      "My daughter is very sick, she has the plague. She isn't showing any signs of recovery. I'm worried she might not make it. Do you think you could help?"

       "In fact, I might be able to help." Said Kellin.

      The man's face grew ecstatic. "Really?! Thank you! She's right in here!" He said, before leading Kellin into a tent. "What do you think, sorcerer? Can you help?"

      Kellin examined the man's daughter. He realized they were wrong about it being the plague. Just the flu. He gave her some sugar water he kept in a vial, and told the man she should be fine.

      "Thank you. Now I'll get you those wolves."

      The man walked out of the tent and over to some cages. All sorts of exotic birds and reptiles and other animals filled each and every one.

      Kellin and the man reached the wolves, and Kellin blew a pink powder into their faces. Both wolves snarled before passing out.

      The man was shocked. "What was that?"

      "A special powder I cooked up that acts as a sedative when inhaled. But I will need help transporting these back to my cottage."

      "No problem." Said the man, with a smile. He loaded the wolves onto a horse drawn carriage and Kellin led him back to the cottage.

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      Once they arrived Kellin unloaded the wolves and brought them around back. The man said goodbye and headed back to his daughter.

     "Sorry, guys. But I have to kill you. Wish there was another way, but when the queen tells me to create lycans, I create lycans."

      Kellin went inside and grabbed his dagger, a clamp, and two vials, before he heard loud metallic clanking, and rushed back outside.

      Kellin ran around back only to find the cage containing the wolves open, and one of the wolves gone.

"Bloody hell! Where in the Queen's name did you go?"