War from Under the Bed

Dinner Disaster

Dinner had never tasted so good to Sadie as she wolfed down the food that sat on her plate. Jenny had been teaching her all day and by the end of the day her mind felt like a puddle in her head that was threatening to leak out of her ears.

"That magic is going to attract a lot of monsters." Henry said and Jenny snorted in reply. Sadie chewed on her stroganoff and glanced at Pang, who glanced at her in return. The two angels had been cold to each other since this morning and Sadie didn't like it.

"What would the King say to this?" Sam muttered and Sadie's interest spiked.

"King?" She asked and Sam stiffened. His face went red and Sadie's interest rose even more, "You guys have a King?" Sam glanced at Jenny and Henry, who both looked at him accusingly.

Henry stabbed his food, "Yes, and the King prefers if we keep knowlegde of our world private." Sadie frowned slightly and stabbed her own food. She wanted to know more about their world. She wanted to know what it was like, what they could do, and if it was peaceful.

"Oh they're young." Jenny said as she surveyed the angry look on Sadie's face, "Can't we tell them."

Henry's nose wrinkled, "It doesn't matter how young they are, orders are orders." Henry glared at her and stood, leaving his plate where it sat and exiting the room. Jenny scowled at his behavior.

"If there's a king, there have to be knights." Jack said amid the following silence, his constant smile widening. He stood on his chair and held out his arm like he was hold a sword, swinging it around and attacking something only he could see.

Sadie giggled gently, "Is he a good king?" She asked Sam. Sam touched his cross gently, his eyes staring up at the ceiling in a silent prayer, before he turned back to the three of them.

"Yes, I consider him to be a good King." Sam answered, his lips twitching in a slight smile. "He's generous and compassionate. Although, I can't say the same for his son."

Jenny visibly cringed at the mention of the King's son and it was Pang's turn to speak up, "What's wrong with him?"

"The prince...he's not exactly the typical angel." Jenny said, annoyance mixed in with her frown, "He's demanding, loud, rude, insufferable-"

"But young ladies seem to be attracted by his charm..." Sam interrupted, noticing the red, angry color seeping into Jenny's cheeks and chuckled.

A blond haired prince popped into her head, "He must be very handsome."

Grandma cleared her throat, the first thing she's done to indicate her presence, "How were your lessons Sadie?"

Jack plopped back into his chair, "She created a forcefield today! It was all golden and awesome!"

Sadie nodded, "It's not very strong if you hit it hard enough. I have to work on holding it up longer."

Jenny smiled, the anger gone, "You're doing very well considering this is your first time using magic." Sadie beamed and continued to eat the delicious food when Grandma suddenly got grim.

"The problem is that Henry is right," she said softly, looking out into the night beyond their protective walls, "Monsters will be swarming to this very spot to see what made such powerful magic." Her eyes found Sadie's and the seven-year old suddenly found it hard to swallow, "My defenses are strong, but I'm not sure they'll hold back the army that will come charging through here. I suggest that you all rest up and then move out tomorrow."

"You should leave too." Sam replied, "Like you said, your defenses aren't going to be able to hold back an army."

Grandma snorted, "This is my house. I'm not leaving it." she stood, "Besides, someone has to stay back and take a few of them out." She gave a slight smile. Sam looked like he wanted to argue, but seemed to choose to drop the subject.

"Alright, it's bedtime." Jenny said, standing and picking up a tired looking Pang. Sadie hopped out of her chair, giggling as Jack gave a loud groan and followed her to their room. Sadie sat down on her mattress and Jack jumped onto his.

"Can't we stay up a little longer?" Jack asked as he threw his pillow at Sadie. She caught it and threw it back with greater force, hitting him right in the face.

"No, just because we're in a war doesn't mean you get to lose sleep." Jenny answered as she pulled the pillow off Jack's face. Sadie wasn't complaining about bedtime. Her lessons had left her drained. She was surprised that Pang was first one to doze off. Jack gave another groan, but laid down anyway.

"You've been sleeping okay?" Jenny asked and Sadie nodded.

"Yeah, the visions have stopped." Sadie said and frowned, "Aren't they supposed to last longer?"

Jenny stroked her head, "I think Courage is warding them off." She gave her a gentle kiss on the head, "Goodnight." She left the room, allowing Sadie to fall asleep with the locket warm against her skin.

Fenris stared at the house that glowed like a beacon leading him to the little girl that he despised. Her threat to the monster world wasn't the only reason why. His ooze bubbled at the thought of her and her whining screams and her tears that were so easy to create.

"I want to rip her throat out." He hissed to the monsters that shifted in the shadows, "You can have the others, but I want that sniveling little brat." He laughed darkly, tasting the vile paint thinner all over the field. He didn't care. He charged with a shriek, the rest of the monsters following into the trap infested lawn.