The Start of the Storm
At the
village of Ranbaraz, the villagers had gathered around for a meeting. Erestor’s
pigeons had delivered his messages about the oncoming war to the villagers, and
this meeting was to discuss the situation. “Can you believe the messages we
got?” a woman asked her neighbor. “I can’t believe that a war is going to
happen” said another woman. “I thought no one was ever going to war against the
queen ever again” said a man. “Neither did I;” said an elderly man “those who
had fought against her in the past never went home alive”. “Those who are going
to fight her must be crazy” said a young man. “I have a bad feeling about this”
said another woman. “I fear the queen is going to win this war just like the
other wars” said an old woman. The villagers were very worried about this,
especially since they didn’t believe that the queen would lose the war this
time. They believed that the queen would win and their miserable lives would
continue.
At
that moment the village leader Julius stepped forward to talk. “Everyone, we
are all aware that other kingdoms are uniting to fight against Queen Morticia,
thanks to the information received,” he said “whether they will win or lose this
war we do not know. But one thing we do know is we cannot stay in our village
while this war is happening, or we will end up caught in it and die. So
everyone must leave our village and take shelter somewhere away from Ranbaraz
until this war is over. We must gather as much food and belongings as we can
and get away from here as quick as we can”. The villagers agreed with Julius’s
plan.
Bridget stepped forward to speak; she had left the castle to join this
meeting. “If you ask me,” she said “this war is going to happen because the
queen has the baby in her hands now”. Ethan had returned to Ranbaraz with
Anakin the other day and Bridget told everyone in the village at once. That of
course made the villagers shocked to know that Queen Morticia had the baby and
they feared for his safety. Catherine and William were the most worried for
Anakin. “If that is true, then I have an important task for you Bridget,” said
Julius “I know this may be dangerous for you, but can I ask you to stay in the
castle and help those who will enter the castle to save the baby?” “Yes, you
can leave that to me” said Bridget. Bridget knew of course that she would be
risking her own life for this task, especially since the queen showed no mercy
to those who betray her. But Bridget was a brave woman and she didn’t want the
queen to kill Anakin. “Go back to the castle now Bridget but please be careful,
and don’t let yourself get found out or killed” said Julius. Bridget left for
the castle at once.
“Okay
everyone it’s time to gather up our children, a lot of food and leave the
village at once” said Julius, turning to everyone. The children had been left
at home all this time. “And one more thing; we must pray that the queen will
not win this war this time and that the baby will be saved”. “What will we do
if the queen does win again Julius?” asked a man named Brutus. Julius sighed.
“If it comes to that Brutus,” he said “we will just have to live normal lives and
wait for the day when the queen dies of old age. But we mustn’t think of that
and lose hope yet, we must believe in the armies which are going to fight her.
And if we do believe in them a miracle may befall us all. Now let’s go
everyone”. So the villagers headed to their homes to collect their children and
get ready to leave for shelter until the war was over.
In the
castle Anakin was crying because he was frightened of his new surroundings.
Ethan and Queen Morticia were watching over him in the secret chamber. “Urgh
ever since I brought this brat here it hasn’t stopped crying” said Ethan, crossly.
The truth is Ethan didn’t like babies, especially when they cried, and right
now he was fed up with Anakin’s crying. “Bear with it a little more,” said
Queen Morticia “once I’ve destroyed the brat, you will never hear it cry
again”. “Why have you not destroyed the brat yet my queen?” asked Ethan.
“Simple you idiot,” said Queen Morticia “those elves will clearly be coming
here to get the baby back, especially that half-witch who has been taking care
of it. I want them all to witness my triumph in person like others, who opposed
me, in the past. And once I have shown them my triumph I will kill this brat
then”. “I understand my queen” said Ethan, silently. Ethan knew it was no use
going against the queen’s decisions, so he just let her go her own way.
Suddenly
the water well lit up. This meant the well was warning Queen Morticia that
something was happening in the world outside her castle and kingdom. Queen
Morticia looked into her well to see what it showed. “Well, well, well,” she
said “the elves and armies from different kingdoms are coming to declare war on
me, and so are witches and wizards. Even Shaula and that half-witch Kira are
coming. I call this a great opportunity to crush all my enemies at once with
this war”. She turned to Ethan. “Go and gather up my army and tell them it’s
time for battle. Do not let any of my enemies enter the castle especially that
witch Shaula. I need time to prepare the ritual to kill the baby”. “If you
please my queen, I want permission to join in this war too” said Ethan “I wish
to crush my enemies, the elves, too”. “As you wish,” said Queen Morticia “just
make sure that witch Shaula and half-witch Kira do not enter the castle”. “Yes
my queen” said Ethan, and he left the chamber to fight, leaving Queen Morticia
to set up her ritual to kill Anakin.
Meanwhile,
King Finwë, his soldiers, Shaula and Kira landed on the ground, miles outside
of Ranbaraz, and dismounted the flying horses. The armies from other kingdoms
hadn’t turned up yet. Shaula was looking in the distance; she could see the
castle of Ranbaraz. “Despite the fact I have returned to dethrone Queen
Morticia,” Shaula said to Kira “it does feel nice to be home again”. Kira
stared at the castle in awe. “It does look magnificent” said Flora. “Except an
evil queen is ruling it” said Skylar. “And Anakin is in there” said Klunk. “Oh
I hope the baby is okay” said Benny, worriedly. “Do not fret,” said Shaula “I
know Queen Morticia well, and she will not kill Anakin until after she has
defeated us. She likes to make her enemies feel defeated, before killing them”.
“Where would she be keeping Anakin?” asked Kira. “Most likely in her secret
chamber;” said Shaula “this chamber was used to protect the royal family if
harm ever came to the castle. But after the king and queen died Morticia used
it to practice her evil spells. The king and queen showed me that chamber when
they were still alive and I know where it is. While the armies fight Queen
Morticia’s army Kira you and I will go there to get Anakin”. Kira understood
and the fairies and brownies decided to go with them to help too. “I have to
admit I feel scared with this being in a war and all” said Kira. “Remember this
Kira,” said Shaula “all these years I have waited for the day I could fight
Morticia again after my failure last time. It is all because of you that this
has happened. Fate has led you to Anakin and to me. You should be proud of all that
you have done and I know your parents are too”. Kira did feel proud of herself
for what she had done up to now even if she did feel scared.
Suddenly
there was a sound of a horn being blown. The armies from the other kingdoms had
arrived and so had the witches and wizards. “Come with me Kira”, said Shaula “I
need to talk to the other witches and wizards”. Kira wondered what Shaula was
going to talk about, but she felt it was something serious, so she followed
Shaula.
The
witches and wizards were getting themselves ready to fight by making sure their
wands and staffs were in top condition. One wizard was saying to another that he was looking
forward to performing some magic. He hadn’t used any magic for a while because it
wasn’t allowed in the village he lived in. “I agree with you,” said the other
wizard “I’ve had to use magic secretly in my village and now I don’t have to
here”. The witches and wizards knew if they defeated Queen Morticia they would
be free to use magic again and that’s what they all wanted. Just then Shaula
and Kira walked up to them. “I wish to speak with all of you,” said Shaula
“I’ve come up with an idea”. They all gathered around Shaula to hear what she
had to say, even Kira and the brownies and fairies listened.
Meanwhile King Finwë greeted the kings and leaders of the armies. “I am happy that you
and your armies have come to help us fight” he said. “I hope this will be the
last time we have to fight that evil queen” said a king who came from a kingdom
called Bangaze. Some of the other kings felt reluctant of fighting against
Queen Morticia because of her power. “As long as we all stand strong together,
I know we can bring down that evil queen and be free of her terror reign once
and for all” said King Finwë. “I hope you are right elf king,” said a king from
a kingdom called Ginash “my kingdom suffered from scars from the battle my
father led against Queen Morticia years ago. We do not wish to earn more battle
scars”.
Before King Finwë could say another
word Erestor came up to him. Erestor had secretly visited the village to find
out if the villagers got his messages. “There is no one in the village your
majesty,” he said “which means the villagers got my messages and fled for
safety”. “Good, we cannot put the villagers in danger” said King Finwë. “What
about us?” asked the king of Ginash “as soon as the queen notices us we’ll be
in danger before we even battle her army; she’ll use her magic on us”. “That’s
why I’ve come up with a plan with the other witches and wizards” said Shaula,
who had just arrived with Kira. The idea she planned was that she and the other
witches and wizards would cast a spell to make everyone invisible, except her
and Kira. “With everyone invisible Queen Morticia will not be able to see you
and place her magic on you”. “What about you and Kira?” asked King Finwë. “Kira
and I will act as decoys to lure out Queen Morticia’s army from the castle,”
answered Shaula “and once they come out then we’ll take off the spell with the
other witches and wizards. My plan of attack is an ambush”. The king of Ginash
didn’t believe he could trust this plan, especially since he had to have a
spell cast on him. Truth is he didn’t trust witches and wizards; this made Kira
cross with him. “This plan is the only way we can get into the castle without
running into any trouble by the queen,” she said firmly, “unless you want to be
seen and run into trouble”. The king flinched; the other kings agreed to
Shaula’s plan so he had to agree. “I still won’t accept any help from a witch
or wizard” he muttered. “You have no choice in this matter,” Shaula argued back
“either you accept help or die easily at the hands of Queen Morticia or her
men”. The king of Ginash still didn’t like it but Shaula was right because in
this matter he didn’t have a choice, especially if he wanted to return to his
kingdom alive. With no more interruptions and arguing, it was time to fight. “Shaula
cast your spell now” said King Finwë.
All of the witches and wizards
gathered up together and they, along with Shaula and Kira, cast the
invisibility spell. “Vaporous, Gaseous, Caecus!” In a matter of seconds
everyone became invisible, except Shaula, Kira and the brownies and fairies. “Oohhh
I wish we could make ourselves invisible like that” said Klunk. “Yes especially
when we need to make ourselves disappear from strangers” said Flora. “Come now
Kira, now we must do our part of the plan” said Shaula. “Okay” said Kira.
Shaula and Kira bravely walked all the
way to the front of the castle. The fairies and brownies held onto Kira tightly
as she walked. The guards saw them from the top of the tower. As the armies
were invisible thanks to Shaula’s magic the guards couldn’t see them. “We call
upon you to surrender!” Shaula shouted to the guards. “We are powerful sorceresses!”
shouted Kira “Give us back the baby that was stolen from Elfalore or we will
destroy you along with your queen!” The guards laughed; they didn’t believe
anything Kira just said. The captain of the guard ordered for Shaula and Kira
to be killed at once. They opened up the castle and some men came out of the
courtyard, ready to kill Kira and Shaula.
“Now!” shouted Shaula. As soon as
Shaula shouted, she and the other witches and wizards took the invisibility
spell off the armies and King Finwë ordered everyone to charge. The captain of
the guard saw what had happened and ordered all of his men to charge. Hundreds
of men came out of the courtyard, already to fight. The armies were soon
clashing at each other, and there were noises of men screaming, horses neighing
and the sound of swords hitting each other. The witches and wizards started to
fire magic from their staff, wands and hands.
At that time Shaula and Kira used
their magic to protect themselves from the soldiers. “Come on Kira, we must get
into that castle fast” said Shaula. She and Kira were just about to run towards
the castle, but then they were stopped by someone. It was Ethan. “I’m afraid
her majesty the queen forbids you from entering the castle” he said. “So you’re
Ethan,” said Kira, coldly, “I have heard about you and you really are working
for Queen Morticia”. “Well the king of Elfalore kicked me out of the kingdom,”
replied Ethan “so I had to find a home somewhere else. Besides thanks to her
majesty I’ve grown more powerful”. Kira snorted. “It’s because you tried to
take over Elfalore by force which is why you were banished from there,” she
said “somebody like you doesn’t deserve to be a king”. Ethan drew his sword and
was just about to attack, but then a voice shouted; “Ethan!” It was Kirk. “It
is time to deal with you and your treachery Ethan”. Ethan smiled and got ready
to fight Kirk. “I’ll deal with you first before I deal with the elf king” he
said. Kirk turned to Shaula and Kira and told them to go while he dealt with
Ethan. Shaula and Kira ran off to the castle at once leaving Kirk to fight Ethan.
It was a ferocious fight between the armies.
Queen Morticia’s army proved to be strong and showed no mercy to killing their
enemies. But the armies from other kingdoms were strong too and they were not
willing to let the bad guys win this war. The wizards and witches were fighting
too and Queen Morticia’s army was no match against their magic. “Ah it feels
good to fight against Queen Morticia” said one witch. “I couldn’t agree more,”
said another witch “this army had been terrorizing our homes and now we can
terrorize them”. The witches and wizards were clearly not letting Queen
Morticia’s army get away with what they or their queen had done to ruin their
lives in the past.
There were kings, princes and
soldiers who accepted to fight alongside the witches and wizards because they
all wanted to defeat Queen Morticia. And whenever a king or prince or soldier
was about to be killed by the enemy and a witch or wizard helped them, they
would thank them respectably. But the king of Ginash didn’t accept this and he fought
against Queen Morticia’s army very hard; truth is he fought to prove that he
didn’t need any help from any witch or wizard to stay alive in this war. He was
also determined to get out of this war alive without any help. He was one of
those very proud and stubborn kings, who didn’t trust witches and wizards at
all. Suddenly his horse was struck by an arrow and he fell off the horse. More
trouble came for him; a soldier on his horse came towards him, ready to strike
him with his sword. The king of Ginash could only just stand there and get
ready to fight back. But then a flash of power struck the soldier down from his
horse and the king was safe. The king saw he had been rescued by a witch. “I
didn’t need your help witch” he said, rudely. The witch snorted. “Whether or
not you did need help,” she said, crossly “you should still be grateful that I
just saved you or your kingdom would go without a king wouldn’t it?” The king
flinched; he didn’t have any heirs yet. Then the witch went off to fight more
enemies, while the king just huffed and continued to fight.
At that time Ethan and Kirk were
clashing each other with their swords. “You’re not bad, but you are a fool to
think you can defeat me,” said Ethan “I have grown stronger thanks to the power
Queen Morticia gave me”. “Your power is the power of evil,” said Kirk “and that
power will lose to the power of good. You will be defeated Ethan!” Ethan and
Kirk went at each other with the swords some more. Ethan was a strong fighter,
but Kirk wasn’t going to let Ethan win. Just then Ethan started to fire his
magic at Kirk. Kirk dodged the magic as quick as he could and fought back with
his own magic. “Ha that magic of yours is useless against mine!” laughed Ethan.
He fired a wave of magic and Kirk fought back. Unfortunately Ethan’s magic
proved to be stronger than Kirk’s and over powered it. Poor Kirk got thrown
back from that and lost his balance. “You were not bad boy,” said Ethan “but
your life ends now”. He used his magic to break Kirk’s sword to bits and then
moved forward towards Kirk to kill him with his sword.
Suddenly an arrow shot passed Ethan and
stopped him in his tracks before he could kill Kirk. The arrow had come from
King Finwë. “I have found you at last Ethan” said King Finwë, crossly. He had
been searching for Ethan to fight him. Ethan smirked when he saw King Finwë. “How
funny, I was going to search for you your majesty,” he said, unctuously, “I have been waiting to take revenge on
you ever since you banished me from Elfalore”. King Finwë drew his sword. “I
made the mistake of letting you off free with banishment from my kingdom,” he
said “now I will fix that mistake”.
King
Finwë and Ethan started to swordfight each other. Ethan was enjoying fighting
against the king and smiled evilly; he had been looking forward to this day.
Ethan jumped back and started to use his magic, but King Finwë started to fight
back with his magic. “Ha your magic has no chance against mine!” laughed Ethan
“just like that elf over there, you will fall”.
Suddenly there was a squelching noise and Ethan started to gasp and
scream in pain. Kirk had quickly recovered from his unconsciousness, grabbed
the handle of his broken sword and used what was left of it to stab Ethan hard
in the back. Ethan lost concentration of killing the elf king. Kirk quickly
grabbed King Finwë’s sword and slashed Ethan around the front. “This is your
real punishment for treachery Ethan!” shouted Kirk. Ethan screamed some more
and fell to the ground. He was no longer a threat to Elfalore anymore; he was
dead.
Kirk
ran over to the elf king to see if he was alright, and he was. “You saved my
life Kirk, thank you” said King Finwë, standing up. He was grateful to Kirk. “I
promised Elasha that I would come home alive along with you your majesty,” said
Kirk “and I wasn’t going to break that promise”. King Finwë smiled. “You are a
good elf,” he said “and I know you will make a great ruler alongside with my
daughter”. “Thank you your majesty” said Kirk. Suddenly Erestor ran up to them.
“Are you alright Kirk and your majesty?” he asked. “We are Erestor,” said Kirk
“and Ethan is no more”. He showed Erestor Ethan’s dead body and Erestor showed
no sympathy. “That is one of our enemies down” he said. “Now let us hope that
Shaula and Kira can handle Queen Morticia” said King Finwë. “They can and will
defeat Queen Morticia your majesty, I have faith in them” said Kirk. “I do too”
said Erestor. They stared at the castle before continuing to fight Queen
Morticia’s army.
By now Shaula and Kira had entered
the castle safely with the fairies and brownies. “Phew I thought we were never
going to enter this castle with the fighting going on outside” said Klunk. “We
are not safe yet Klunk,” said Shaula “Morticia already knows that we are here,
so there will be danger for us to face here in this castle. Now come we must
hurry”.
Shaula led the way to Queen
Morticia’s secret chamber. Shaula hadn’t been in the castle for the last thirty
years, but she still remembered the way to Queen Morticia’s secret chamber. They
ran through the halls and up the stairs. Even though she was an old woman,
Shaula could still run very fast. Kira ran as fast as she could to keep up with
Shaula. She was hoping they weren’t too late to save Anakin. There were guards
inside the castle, who Ethan had told to get rid of any intruders if any of the
enemies entered the castle. The guards all moved in to fight Shaula and Kira
once they saw them, but the two witches used their magic to knock out the
guards; they didn’t kill the guards just made them unconscious. “I don’t really
like doing this” said Kira, who was feeling bad on knocking out the guards with
her magic. “I don’t either myself,” Shaula admitted “but when it comes to
enemies who try to bring you down, it’s better to use magic than being killed
by the enemy”. Kira understood because she didn’t want to be killed.
Kira and Shaula continued
running until at last they came to the hallway with the blank wall. “Pull down
the chandelier on the left wall Kira; that reveals the stairway to the secret
chamber” said Shaula. Kira ran to the chandelier, pulled it and the stairs appeared.
“I have heard about castles having secret openings for secret passages, but I
never thought they were real” said Kira. “Okay here’s my plan,” said Shaula “I
will fight Queen Morticia and you get the baby Kira. Then you and the fairies
and brownies get out of the chamber and take Anakin somewhere safe”. Kira, the
brownies and the fairies understood the plan and they went down the stairs
towards the secret chamber.
