Terminus Part I: The Journey There (Draft)

Chapter 30: Fort Barronym

 The castle that housed the kingdom proper was known as Fort Barronym. For generations, it had been ruled by a class of noblemen whose origins in the world were a large mystery. Its magnificent stone walls harkened back to simpler times, yet stood strong and mighty in such a way that impressed all who laid eyes upon it. However, that was not the Fort Barronym of the present. Brightly coloured tents adorned the city and in some cases draped over large sections of the castle. It was as if the Kingdom had fused with a circus.

The King of Barronym, His Majesty Wilvus Forebaggage, was a man of conviction and pride. Under normal circumstances, if he were to see his kingdom in this condition, he would be furious. But these were not normal circumstances.

In a tent located in the northern parts of town, a group of people seemed to be preparing for something.

"Okay, you lot have five minutes maximum to get ready for the performance today, or else someone gets in the clown car," said the man standing in the middle of the room.

The man walked out, and the two women who were getting each other ready looked at each other. "Well, Ollacosta, you heard him. I think you look fabulous. Now tell me that thing."

"Oh, alright, Jasmine. You look fabulous, too."

"If you ladies are done being robots," began one of the men who had been practicing juggling rings. "Then I believe Oscar just called for us to go to the main tent."

"Alright, already, Garrett," said Jasmine. "We're coming, and our act is going to blow the King away."

As it seemed that some sort of performance was about to be held for the King, there was something else going on in the jungles near the northwestern coast.

"Man, this forest is thick," said Cameron.

"Thank you for your insight. You are truly a pioneer," said Patricia. "It's almost like everyone knew that already."

"Especially snarky today, are we, Pat?" asked Karnilla.

"Hey, you'd be snarky too if you forget your job one day and then suddenly everyone's at risk. And Camen is being a total spoil-sport, so it just makes sense to berate him."

"It wasn't one day, and it wasn't everyone. Still though, you've got to get used to responsibility. I know that we never really gave responsibility a chance... I mean, how can you when you're running from life to life. The circus, the Gentleman's Club, the house in Satchanville, when will we ever just find something that we can do, instead of running from what we think we can't?"

"Therapy in the jungle," said Cameron.

"C'mon, let them have their moment, Camen," said Milangelo.

"All of you, shut up and look at this," whispered James in an excited tone. His crew complied and looked in the direction that he was. Their mouths began to widen.

In front of the crew, a living ankylosaur stood before them and was grazing on some bushes.

"Okay, my day just got a whole lot better," said Brandon.

"Wait, you were having a bad day, too?" asked Patricia.

"Who do you think almost died today?"

James gave a quick reminder to his crew to be quiet, as he watched the ankylosaur intently. The creature was chewing on leaves as it slowly turned his head toward the crew. It made a low growl as if to approve of their presence. It then turned around and began walking away. It made another growling sound as it did so, and James took that as a queue to lead his crew in a different direction, as to not disturb the dinosaur.