Bon Voyage! Volume 1: The Beginning

Chapter 18: One Kiss

Peril walked over to King Hemfort and stood next to his throne. "What happened here since I've been gone?" King Hemfort scratched his bald scalp with his bony hand, trying to think of the explanation. "After you left, Trixie looked everywhere for you but after a while, she gave up hope. Knowing that she will never be with the one she loves is heartbreak. She knew that you were never coming back and she fell to pieces. She knew that long ago, when her mother died. In a month or so, a neighboring kingdom was searching for a wife, a Queen, for their Prince. Trixie thought about the offer Rygart left and she accepted his hand in marriage. I just don't know how her mind was turned around so quickly to accept an offer without consulting me first. It was almost like she was cursed or forced to do it." Peril squinted his eyes as he thought about how Rygart got Trixie's hand in the first place. "So, you're saying that Trixie is under some kind of spell?" Peril asked. "I'm not saying anything because I don't know the whole truth. You should go talk to Trixie. She should know." King Hemfort said and smiled as everyone in the kingdom was having the time of their lives.

Tonight, was the night of the crescent. It meant that at midnight, the moon would glow purple and it was known to be a big celebration. There were no more humans in the realm so all the elves were free! Peril wanted to know more but Rygart already said that he would kill him if he touches Trixie, again. Peril knew what he had to do to get Trixie's attention. Nick walked up the stairs to the king but Peril had already left. "Yes, young lad, what do you so desire?" King Hemfort asked. Nick was so nervous that he couldn't speak. "Oh, yes, you're the one who wants to get rid of Purple Jessamine, right? You are Nick Larson?" King Hemfort asked. "Yes, your majesty, that's me." Nick said. "I can only say that removing Purple Jessamine won't be easy but, it is possible." King Hemfort said. "Please, I will do anything you wish; just get my mother out of my head!" Nick begged. King Hemfort smiled diligently and he was going to get something in return. "I will help you, don't worry-but it's going to cost you." "What do you so desire?" Nick asked. "What I want is something you can give me and it is something you can do for me. I want you to head to the kitchen and get me my beloved crown. I think I left it down there when I got the party favors." "Sure, I can do that. Anything else?" "No, that is all." Nick ran down the stairs and found the door to his right that led down a long hallway.

There were many rooms down the hallway and one of them had to be the kitchen. The first room on the left was a living room that looked big enough to be two bedrooms, the next room on the right was a door that was locked for some reason, the third room on the left was the basement stairwell; it led to other rooms in the massive kingdom. On the far right was a room where someone with high class was standing in, gazing upon a mirror. He wore a white suit with medals of his accomplishments, shiny shoes that matched, and his golden crown that completed the ensemble. "Hey, who are you?" Nick asked. Nick walked closer to the doorway and entered the room. "Who are you?" The man asked. "My name is Nick, I was looking for the kitchen to get the king's crown." "He lost it again? I find that hard to believe." The man said and walked by the fireplace and added a log from the pile of wood blocks. "So, what's your name?" Nick asked. "You're not from here, are you?" The man said. "Why would you say that?" Nick said. "Because you would know me if you lived in this realm. My name is King Rygart."

"Ok, you caught me. I'm actually from a world called Earth, perhaps you've heard of it?" Nick said. "I've never heard of that realm before. What's it like?" "It's quite nice, actually. There's technology on that planet that can take you to wherever you want to go in a matter of minutes." "Sounds awesome." King Rygart said. "Right now, we're going through a crisis which is why me, Master Peril, and my friends are here for. So we can stop it." "Is that right?" King Rygart asked. "Yeah. I really need to get going so can you direct me to the kitchen?" "Sure, it's down the hall last door on your left." King Rygart said. "Thanks." Nick said and left the room. He walked down the hall and found the kitchen. "Are you kidding me?" Nick said. "He forgot his crown on the kitchen counter?" Nick grabbed the crown before anyone else took it and raced down the hall and up the stairs to the throne where King Hemfort was missing. "Hey, where did he go?" Nick asked.