Crown Quest: A Beatles Adventure

Chapter One

"Stop right there, thief!" the guard's voice rang in his ear.

George froze in the middle of chomping on an apple. He turned slowly. "Excuse me?"

"Your lawbreaking spree has come to an end," the guard growled, his gauntleted hand clamping down on George's arm. George twisted, trying to get out of his painful grasp.

"I didn't take anything!" George cried as the guard hauled him toward the castle.

"You've done it before," the guard replied flatly.

"That was one time, man!" He had stolen a wagon full of food once to feed his family and had unfortunately been caught. Not only had his family not been able to eat that night, his parents had also been deeply disappointed in him, so he vowed never to thieve again. What were Mum and Dad going to think this time?

"Once a thief, always a thief," the guard said as other guards opened the wooden double doors to the castle for them.

George started dragging his feet once they were inside, the guard pulling him across the marble like it was ice skating rink. No, no, no, no! his thoughts screamed. He had been thrown in the dungeon last time and didn't want to go again. It had smelled bad down there and his cell mate hadn't been the kindest. George had left the dungeon with bruises and aching bones.

King Brian sat on his throne in a proper manner, looking like he was trying to be interested and not bored out of his mind. Because it was boring being a king, right? With a fancy, sparkly crown on your head and a lot of gold and plenty of food. That was really boring, George was sure.

"What do we have here?" the king asked once the guard and George had come to a stop before him.

"A thief, Your Majesty," the guard explained, sending George a sideways glare.

"What did he take?"

"A shop owner accused him of taking some jewelry, a fur coat, and a parrot."

The king raised an eyebrow and repeated, "And a parrot."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The king finally looked at George. "What is your plea?"

"I'm innocent, Your Majesty!" George cried. "I didn't take any of it! Please believe me. I was just . . . just eating this apple, minding my own business when I was accused of this nonsense." George held up his apple as if that would make everything right.

"I see," King Brian said, regarding the apple with disgust. Sticky fruit was probably a big no-no in his throne room, George realized. The king cleared his throat. "Well, my crown has been, um, misplaced by someone, and if you would like to prove your innocence, it would be lovely if you would get it back."

George suddenly noticed that the king, in fact, wasn't wearing a crown. "Oh, uh, perfect! So someone stole it?"

"Yes," the king said hesitantly.

"This shouldn't be that hard," George said confidently. "Thieves are cowards anyway. Do you know where they might be?"

"Well, this isn't just any thief," the king said, wringing his hands. "He's a necromancer and he's kind of hard to pin down."

"A necromancer?" George repeated, swallowing audibly. He'd heard stories about them, and they didn't sound like people he wanted to tangle with.

"Yes. His name is Mark David Chapman."

"You know, now that I think about it, I'd rather take a week in the dungeon instead of this. Can we get that scheduled?"

"Please do this," the king said, sounding desperate. George was taken aback. The king was pleading with him. There was a king that was begging him to do something! He couldn't help but feel special somehow.

"Can you give me a map to his location so I don't have to wander around in the wilderness?" George squeaked.

"No," the king said, shaking his head. "I can't give you an exact location, but I'll tell you this: he leaves clues behind him. Like bread crumbs. Look for these."

"Can I just ask one more - "

"Well, look at the time!" King Brian exclaimed, looking at his pocket watch. "You'd better get going! See you later. Bye."

"But I need more information!" George cried as the guard hauling him out of the castle. The king pretended he couldn't hear him, acting as if he had some pressing matters to deal with involving his pocket watch.

The guard threw George out onto the cobblestones and slammed the door.

You-You-You and I are collaborating once again! Please us what you think of our new story!