The Hey Arnold! Fantasy Adventure Epic [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3

Arnold and Gerald walked down the forest path when they heard the sound of yelling.

"Gerald, do you hear that?" asked Arnold.

Gerald paused for half a step, then shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Let's keep going."

Arnold yanked on Gerald's sleeve. "Gerald!"

"Come on, man! We're on a quest, remember? And the last thing we should be doing is getting distracted by every cry for help."

"But Gerald, don't you see? I'm supposed to be the Hero! I can't just ignore a person who's in need. I've got to go help them."

Before Gerald could say another word, Arnold darted ahead. He ran until he spotted a carriage surrounded by a group of thieves. One of the thieves was rounding up a pair of horses attached to the carriage, while another had another had his knife out and was preparing to enter the vehicle.

"Stop!" yelled Arnold, getting the attention of the brigands.

"Lookee here men, we got ourselves a hero!" taunted a third thief.

"That's right!" said Arnold, taking on a challenging stance. "Now you leave those innocent people alone, or I'll be forced to do something drastic."

"Oh yeah?" said the thief holding the horses. "Like what?"

Not realizing that the men would call his bluff, Arnold reached for the closest item he could find – a stick – and brandished it at the thieves, causing them to burst out in laughter. The thief with the knife left the carriage alone and began to approach the hapless Arnold.

"It's time we teach you why it's wise to not be a hero, kid," said the thief threateningly.

Suddenly, the carriage began to quiver and shake. The thieves watched as several lighted projectiles emerged from within, all with a trajectory for them. The thief with the knife was hit in the head and his hair was alight with blue fire.

"Aah!" he screamed, and he ran off, his crew not far behind him.

"Hey Arnold!" Gerald arrived to see the last of the brigands flee the area. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. It was—"

The door of the carriage emerged. A young bespectacled girl with black hair in a blue dress stepped out.

Gerald wasted no time walking up to the girl and bowing. "Hello there! Allow myself to introduce...uh, myself. I'm Gerald the Bard. You're not hurt are you?"

"Hello – I'm Phoebe. And no, I'm quite alright. I suppose we have you to thank for coming to our aid?"

Flustered, Gerald blushed. "Uh, actually that would be my traveling companion over there, Arnold. But I made certain those criminals were truly gone, I can assure you."

Phoebe walked past Gerald and curtseyed before Arnold. "You saved our lives. We are in your debt."

"Thanks," said Arnold, scratching the back of his head. "But I didn't really do much...."

"Hmmph – that's obvious."

All eyes turned to the carriage again. A second girl exited, this one with long blonde hair in a pink dress, and a rather sour demeanor. When she was fully out she folded her arms and regarded the two boys rather coolly.

"Don't mind my colleague," apologized Phoebe. "It's been a long trying day, punctuated rather poorly with our encounter with the thieves."

"Uh-huh," remarked Gerald, still admiring Phoebe.