The Hey Arnold! Fantasy Adventure Epic [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10

One of the soldiers, a lanky boy with blonde hair, approached the group of hero. "Sorry, your Majesty. I've been ordered to take you back to the Beeper Palace."

"Your Majesty?!" said Gerald, incredulously.

"You're the daughter of the Beeper King?" asked Arnold in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The blonde soldier pushed Arnold back before Helga could respond. "She doesn't have to do answer to you, peasant! She's betrothed to Wolfgang, the future ruler of these lands!"

"Give it a rest, Edmund," said Helga in exasperation.

But then Arnold set his sights on Helga "How could lie to me? So you were never a firework salesman?"

At that Edmund and the other soldiers laugh raucously.

"Come on, Arnold," Gerald said "We don't have to put up with this."

He tried to guide Arnold away but they were blocked by the weapons held by the other soldiers.

"Where do you think you're going?" laughed Edmund. "Wolfgang would love to add to his wedding reception!"

Arnold, Helga, Gerald and Phoebe sat in silence as the stagecoach they were forcibly stuffed into travelled their route to the Beeper Kingdom.

At last it was Gerald that broke the silence. "I can't believe it – you're going to marry that monster Wolfgang?"

"It's not like she had a choice in the matter, Gerald!" Phoebe spoke up. "She was coerced by King Big Bob!"

"Oh, so this is all for peace then?"

"Of course not," said Helga, breaking her silence, but looking out the carriage window, refusing to meet the eyes of her traveling guests. "Big Bob doesn't profit from peace. So long as there's a war he stays rich and powerful. What better way to secure that legacy than to marry off his youngest daughter to the one keeping his coffers full."

Phoebe put a comforting hand on Helga's knee. "But you didn't, Helga. You said you wouldn't be ruled and dictated to by your tyrant of a father, so and I fled to make our own destiny!"

"Yeah, and look where it got us," spat Helga. "We're right back where we started." She glanced over briefly at Arnold, the only one who maintained his silence. He was also looking out the window and avoiding eye contact.

Eventually the grey clouds and smog alerted the group to their arrival at the Beeper Kingdom. They were escorted by Edmund down the corridors of the castle.

As they walked, Helga tried making conversation with Arnold. "I don't want this," she said softly.

"Well, what do you want?" said Arnold finally.

Helga looked at Arnold earnestly, and for the first time, she could see the anguish painted on her face. "I want you to help me..."

Suddenly, Helga was forcibly separated from the others. "What are you doing?!"

"These three kidnappers will stay in the dungeon until the king decides what to do with them!" explained Edmund.

"But they didn't kidnap me! I ran away! Take me to Big Bob – I wanna give him a peace of my mind!"

"With pleasure, Princess," said Edmund. He nodded at the other soldiers, and they took Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald away.

Helga stormed her way into the throne room but was surprised to find it empty, with Big Bob nowhere to be seen. The throne itself was draped over by some oversized sheet of fabric. She walked into the centre of the room and looked around, warily.

"Well, well, well – we meet again, Princess,"

Helga turned to her left to see Wolfgang emerging from one of the side chambers. He walked over to the throne, never taking his eyes off of her, giving her a smug grin.

"Wolfgang? What is the meaning of this? Where's my father, King Big Bob?"

"The King? He and I had a heart-to-heart, and decided that I would be better suited to taking over the duties of ruling his kingdom. Of course, he did require a nudge in the right direction..."

As he spoke, he pulled the fabric off of the throne with a flourishing gesture, revealing a petrified King Bob underneath, completely turned to stone.

Helga gasped in horror, but then her shock was quickly replaced by rage. "You monster! How could you do such a thing! There's no way I'd ever marry you after this!"

Wolfgang chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Poor, naïve Helga – I'm the Warlock, baby. I could have any woman in the land that I so choose. I never intended to take your hand in marriage..." he approached Helga and before she could run away, he grabbed her arm forcefully, raising it slightly and squeezing it until she winced in pain. "No...what I want from you is much, much more valuable.

He moved in close so that his nose and Helga's were mere inches apart. "I want your power."

When he finally let her go, Helga crossed her arms and gave Wolfgang the nastiest look she could muster.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, pal. In case you've forgotten, it's my perfect sister that has all the power in the family."

"Ah, and that's where you're wrong," Wolfgang raised his glove hand, palm upright, and Helga's body was suddenly lifted several inches off the ground. She struggled, but her entire body was paralyzed under Wolfgang's control. He walked around her casually. "You see, Olga does have great power, but her ability is in what she can SHOW. I need a power that can DO. I need to bind it and control it, and eventually snuff it out. It's the only way I can maintain my iron grip on the lands."

"What...are you...talking about?" Helga strained to say under the enchantment.

"Silly girl...you haven't figured it out yet?" he grabbed on to Helga's chin and pulled it down so their eyes met again, and she could see the full intent of malice behind them.

"You have the power I need.....because you are the Messiah."