King's Quest

CHAPTER 3: THE MAGIC FRUIT

Rosella is now prepared, but she has no idea where to go. All the same, she has to do something, fast. She hastens south past the fisherman's house, past the minstrel's stump down into the meadow where she first spotted the unicorn, which is not there, but it doesn't matter.

She goes west to the stone bridge and follows the river west, past the dwarve's home, past some rapids, stopping before a beautiful waterfall. Had she the time and tools, she would have sketched it for sure, but she has neither.

She looks about her, but nothing was of any interest, except a stone structure to the north, but the looming shadows it casts is none too inviting. And it's during her searching that she sees it, a recess behind the falls.

There's a cave and it needs exploring. Unfortunately, the falls are a little too fierce, even unnaturally so and she isn't willing to risk her well being to see just how fierce.

Her only hope is to swim beneath the water, but the basin is too shallow. If only she could minimize her body, maybe a frog... She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the crown. She places it upon her head and just like that she's turned into a frog.

Her clothes and possessions have all vanished, but she pushes that matter to the back of her mind and dove into the icy water. She navigates the maze of rocks until she makes it to the other side of the falls.

Back on dry land she removes the crown and once again is a fully clothed, young woman. She checks her belongings, they're all there, including the lantern that hangs from her hip. She released its tether and held it aloft, before opening it and striking the tinder.

The lantern glowed, illuminating the path before her. She reaches down, plucks the crown from the ground and pockets it. She is now ready to proceed into the dark.

Before going in she notices a plank leaning against the rock wall. She wondered what it's doing there, but lets the matter be. Cautiously, she enters the cave. The first thing she encounters is a pile of bones, not a good sign. Then she hears growls, also not good.

She checks her inventory, she had nothing to serve as a weapon. She looks to the bones, a grim reminder of what it means to encounter on of the monsters that inhabits the cave, but within she finds a form of salvation. A solid femur bone, a good hand held weapon, the best she can get her hands on.

Carefully, she makes her way forward, sliding her foot rather than stepping, trying to detect any anomalies in her pathway. It's a slow method, but a safer one. She keeps on the way and begins to hear noises.

Unpleasant to be sure, and every once in a while there's a glint from some menacing eyes. She sticks as close to, what she assumes to be a path, and tries to stray as little as possible. After what seems an eternity, she reaches an obstacle.

Her sliding foot feels air. It seemed their is a gap in the path, a chasm. She feels all along the edge, it's absolute and the only way forward is to jump, or is it? She remembers the plank leaning against the entrance, but there are two problems she now faces.

One, she would have to go back to get it, through the darkness and the creeping things. Two, if she did go back for it, she would not be able to wield a weapon, along with the cumbersome piece of wood. She has no choice, she needs to carry on, but this time she doesn't have to go slow. She walks swiftly, as she keeps an eye on the shadows, praying one of them will not jump out at her.

She makes it without incident, unless you count the stress which shaved years off her life. She takes hold of the desired object and is able to balance it under one arm. The other will be needed to hold the lantern. With the bone tucked in her belt, she's ready to drop the plank and arm herself, should the need arise. Thus, she walks back into the dark once again.

She is able to make it back to the gaping maw, this time with a means to get across, at least she hoped so. She drops down to her knees, sets aside the lantern, before placing all of her weight on one end of the board.

Inch by inch she slides the plank outward, lessening her weight at times to verify it still had not touched solid ground. She has little platform left when she touches the other side of the chasm. She lets it sit a minute to be sure the board does not move.

Rosella rises from her place, plucks the lantern from the ground and stepped gingerly onto the plank. She holds a moment. Thankfully, her weight is supported. Step by fearful step, she moves across the suspended, narrow platform and is more than grateful when she reaches the other side.

And it is only now that she is on the other side, does she see the light that is the exit. She's excited, not only is there a way out, but she can now wield her weapon. Still, she keeps on in her cautious fashion, one sliding foot at a time.

She makes it to the other end and out into the waning light, surrounded by a swamp. The water, if it could be called that, looks harmful and she isn't going to test it. Luckily, there are little islands, just big enough for a grown person, such as herself, to stand up right, but they are separated from each other by a short length of water. As such, it isn't the distsance that is the difficult part, it's the possibility of slipping up.

As careful as she can, she leaps the distance between each earthy platform, before the very last one, that stands before a small island. It's a slightly longer distance away, so she will really have to jump. But that is a minor concern compared to the large serpent that stands between her and what she assumes to be the magical fruit.

She whips out Pan's flute and begins to play. At once the seprpent is mesmerized and sways with each note. Rosella quickly discovers she can control the serpentine creatue, as with each high note played the snake rises and for every low note it drops.

Soon, she has it swaying and bobbing, as she gently brings it lower and lower, until its head rests upon the ground where it snoozes loudly. She can't believe it, the trick had worked. Liitle did she know, it was the power of Pan's flute and not the playing, that soothed the savage breast in this instance.

The way is made open to her and she leaps the distance, acorss the unsavory swamp below. She just makes it and finds her feet mere inches from the slumbering viper. She holds perfectly still as she willed even her breath be silent.

After several very tense moments, Rosella summons her courage and steps gingerly around the sleeping beast as she carefully plucks the fruit from the tiny tree it grows from. She only hopes that it possesses the magic that would save her father.

Trusting the fates would not have set her feet and so perilous a journey without a good reason, she tucks it away and prepares to tackle the obstacles that stand in her place all over again. Each of which are made doubly treacherous by the almost extinguished sunlight. She will have to hurry if she was to have adequate light.

Somehow, she makes it back without incident, despite her hurried steps. And once back in the cave, she hastens back to the chasm with cautious steps.

Carefully, she scoots forward, until she finds the drop off point and with great caution she judges the distance and the exact position of the plank that is still stretched across the gap.

Slowly, she places her foot upon the narrow platform and holds her breath as she crosses the divide and doesn't dare breathe until she sets foot upon solid ground once again. With a heavy sigh of relief, she hurries, as she no longer has to probe the floor for hazards.

As such, she makes it outside transforms herself into a frog, swims beneath the waterfall and returns to her natural state just in time to find darkness has descended.