20: Marius and Prank Issues

Edith stumbled along, feeling dehydrated. Well she didn't exactly know what dehydrated felt like, but this was the closest she had ever been to such a state. She knew that the water from the stream was safe to drink, but it tasted so bitter she avoided drinking it as often as possible. She'd had nothing to eat for as long as she could remember, but that had been so long ago, and her only desire was to reach The Woman of the Hidden Stream as soon as possible. She also knew that Marius was out there, supposedly protecting her, but she didn't feel too comfortable with that, especially considering her first encounter with him, which was no pleasant experience. She kept walking with the relentless sun bearing down overhead, sloshing in the river to keep her now bare feet off of the hot sand. She started to become faint from thirst, and decided to have another drink to keep her going. When she came back up from getting it, though, she became dizzy from her own sudden movements, and stumbled onto the bank which helped form the stream. Having to carry the giant book and fabled dagger was no picnic either. As she lay on the hot sand, her mind started to wander, and she drifted off to sleep. Sleep was the only way she could contact Marius, and it always had a strange feeling to it. This time, as every time, she was more prepared for the encounter with him. Each time, though, she would meet him in a different location. This time she met him in a thickly wooded forest, full of every sort of evergreen trees. She saw him, a young man, not much older than twenty years of age, and the type of man who looked like he often wore a smile on his face. This time he wasn't smiling, but had a look of worry on his face. When Edith approached him, he asked her, "Why have you stopped? We need to keep moving."

"I am tired," she answered crossly, "I have been walking for days without food, and with disgusting water. This is hardly the life I have been born into."

"I know of your poor conditions, but I bring bad news," he said. "While you were walking, I took a look around to see if there was anyone near by, and there is. There are three men that are following you. One is nobility, but the other two appear to be ordinary soldiers from your city. I am worried for your safety, and your mission. They are still quite a ways off, but they are steadily gaining on you. I could enter their minds, but I would have to leave you unguarded to do that, and I am afraid that if I left you, you would end up in trouble. You may rest a little while longer, but you will have to get moving soon. I will leave you to to get some resting sleep but i will wake you soon so you can keep moving. You still have quite a way to go, so we have to keep going: tired, hungry, and thirsty or not. It will be later in the evening when I get you up, so it will be cooler. Rest now, rest..." and with that Edith drifted off into a peaceful slumber uninterrupted by dreams.

King Horatio the Not Very Nice was furious. His daughter was missing (raising the taxes hadn't helped); her suitor had gone to look for her, and hadn't come back, or even sent a report; his Royal Whoopie Cushion Maker had fled the country and escaped execution; and worst of all worsts, the old infallible mousetrap gum trick had not worked on a single counsel member in his... well, counsel. They all had their own gum, and declined to take his fake gum. He loved to see his tricks catch people unawares, but with so many falling apart recently, it might as well have been a revolution. This was infuriating, and he would have to come up with some extremal clever and malicious way to get back at those who hadn't fallen prey to his failed jokes. Then he hit upon it. The most creatively evil way he could pull practical joke. This one would get him even on everyone who had missed out on his other jokes. He decided, that night, to have all of his soldiers, servants, and everyone else working under his command, toilet paper every house in his kingdom. No, he would go far beyond that. He would have them fork the yards too. He was so happy about his cruelly evil and dastardly plan, that he started dancing, er... hopping around his room. The servants working on the floor below rolled their eyes at the tremendous booms coming from the floor above. In a short while they would have to clean up the plaster that had broken loose from the ceiling and come crashing to the floor then get the holes patched up. But that would be after the thudding coming from the ceiling ended.

--ND