Daphne: "YAY!!!!!!!!! I finally got this chapter up! Sorry that it took so
long! I have had major writer's block! Alright. Just a little run-through
of the chapter. Chang and Haley finally discover the master of the 'Czarina
Cards', and Marie becomes a little less annoying. But danger is looming in
the distance..."
~*~*~*~
The Alluring Anthea
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
"Working is a lot harder than I thought it would be." Haley sighed, as she collapsed in a haystack two weeks later. Chang sat down next to her, absentmindedly petting Zoe, who was cooing softly. They were in the barn, cooling off. It was a hot day, just before supper time, and Chang and Haley had spent the whole day working in the kitchens and the fields.
"Chang?" Haley asked, rising up on her elbows.
Still Chang said nothing. Instead, he sat up straighter and looked around, alert. Something was not right.
"Do you feel that?" Zodiac asked, turning her little head towards the direction from which a bright white aura came. It flashed brightly, and then dissipated. But it was still there, all the same.
"Has either of you seen Annie?"
Haley and Chang turned around to see Garret and Marie standing in the barn's doorway. For once, Marie looked frightened and unsure of herself, and Garret was holding several well-packed saddle-bags in his arms.
"No, why?" Haley asked, standing up and helping Garret with the bags. He walked over to Chang's horse and draped one over it's back. Then he did the same with the other saddle bags, until five horses were packed well, and ready to go...somewhere. Then he turned around and faced them, his face like a thundercloud.
"We have to go. This morning, I was working in the fields when I heard a horse ride up to the house. It was the Queen and she ordered Conrad to..." He paused, at a loss for words.
"She ordered papa to kill you all." Marie sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Haley stood up in shock.
"She what?! Why would she do that?" She hissed. 'How could she possibly know?' She added in her mind. Garret sighed and shrugged.
"I don't have any idea. But we have to leave, now! Conrad has gone into town, and he shouldn't be back until sundown. That should give us time to escape to the next town." Garret said, mounting one of the horses. Haley gasped.
"But our things! And this is so soon...how will we ever..." She stammered, as Chang pushed her towards her horse.
"They packed our things. Now up." He commanded, as he climbed onto his own horse. No one questioned the fact that Chang already knew what was going on, because they were already on their horses, trotting towards the shelter of the nearby forest.
~*~*~*~
"This is where we felt the aura." Haley whispered to Chang five minutes later, as they journeyed further into the forest. Chang nodded and then looked around, confused. The aura seemed to be all around them, now.
"Annie?! ANNIE!!!" Garret yelled, standing up in his stirrups and looking high above them. Chang looked up as well and nearly fell off his horse. There, struggling against bindings of wood and earth, was the pale Annie. The piece of fabric that hid her hair had fallen off, to reveal long, pale blonde hair that fell from her head like a silken sheet. Even more shocking, beside her stood a towering gold dragon, whose red eyes were focused on the intruders.
"Well, I think we found the mistress of the Czarina Cards." Haley said in awe, as she watched Annie struggle against her bonds. Chang growled. How could he have been so foolish? She had been right there in front of his face the whole time, and he had never even felt an aura from her; he did now, though. Her aura was white, with all the colors of the rainbow mixed in. It was not quite as powerful as his, but it was powerful enough.
"Weakling. Two of the toughest cards to capture have teamed up to fight against her. If she had any skill at all, she would have separated them apart by now." Chang sniffed. This did not go over well with the gold dragon.
"What do you know, gaki?" It hissed in a deep voice. (a/n: sound familiar? Hehehe) Xzodia, who was on Chang's shoulder, hissed and quickly changed into her true form. She growled threateningly at the gold dragon, who looked just as shocked to see her, as she had been to see him a few minutes ago.
"Um, as much as this must be important to you, I do need some help here. None of my cards will work!" Annie yelped, as a vine twisted around her body and squeezed her. Chang growled again and then summoned his sword.
"Fire! Burn the vines! Water! Cause the earth to turn muddy!" Chang yelled, as his sword connected with two of his cards. They sprang into action, tearing the two elements away from each other. Fire charred the wood card, and water caused the earth card to loose its upper hand. Annie fell from the hold of the wood card and landed on her dragon's outstretched neck.
"Capture them, now." Chang commanded, looking bored. Annie glared at him but did as she was told. The elements were changed back into their cards in a matter of seconds, but they weren't finished yet. To Annie's shock and Chang's horror, Chang's cards floated over to Annie's and they began to spin around in a circle. Chang's other cards flew out of his pockets and then joined with Annie's two in the dance. All the while, Haley, Garret, and Marie were watching in amazement, while the two dragons simply looked outraged as they watched the floating cards.
Suddenly, two of Chang's cards darted out and collided with Annie's Wood and Earth cards, causing a flash of light to temporarily blind them. When it finally dissipated, all the cards were gone, accept for Annie's two, which were lying on the ground. Chang reached into his pocket and pulled out his cards, looking through them in confusion.
"My Wood and Earth are gone." He stated. Annie gasped as she picked up her cards.
"What are *these*?! These aren't the Czarina Cards!" She yelped, holding out the cards. They were green and white, with strange symbols on them. Annie turned over one of the cards and look at the back.
"Unity." She read. Xzodia looked over her shoulder and groaned.
"Oh no! This can't be happening!" She cried. Chang and Annie looked at her in confusion.
"What?" They asked in unison. The gold dragon, meanwhile, was alternately knocking his head against a tree and glaring at Chang menacingly. Every time his head hit the tree, he caused it to shake, making pine needles fall on Haley, Garret and Marie, who were trying not to laugh at how silly he looked. Zoe, however, did not find him funny, and she glared at him.
"I will give it to you straight out. Your decks of magical cards are identical, so you each have the same amounts of cards. For some strange reason, your cards have merged with hers, Xiao-Chang. They merge to become one, twice as powerful card, that you both are the master of. So your Wood and Earth cards have merged with hers, to become the Unity Cards. I wonder if your mother expected this?" Zoe wondered aloud, completely ignoring Chang's and Annie's horrified looks.
"*My* cards have merged with *his*?!"
"*My cards have merged with *hers*?!"
Annie and Chang asked in horrified unison. Haley was now holding her stomach, her face red from suppressing her laughter, while Garret had buried his face in his arm, as his chuckles became louder and louder. Marie had no idea what was going on, but she found the situation funny anyway. Zoe and the gold dragon, who must have been Flame, were glaring at each other heatedly, their eyes flashing with dislike for each other.
"All right, I came on this mission to find and keep the master of the *Czarina Cards* safe. Mother said nothing about 'Unity Cards'!" Chang yelled. Haley's giggles got the best of her.
"Perhaps Aunt Sakura didn't tell you, because she knew how you would react! Rose sure seemed to know, though!" Haley laughed, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. For the first time in his life, Chang had met someone who dared to stand up against him! Moreover, it was a girl! This made the whole situation even more hilarious to her.
"Wait! Aunt Sakura? You mean Princess Sakura of the Li kingdom?! She is your *mother*?!" Marie yelped, causing everyone to look at Chang. His face became impassive and he was once again the boy that Haley knew all to well.
"She is." Was all he said. Marie gave a little shriek, while Garret and Annie became pale.
"That would make you a prince." Garret said slowly. Chang said nothing.
"He is. Prince Li Xiao-Chang of the Li kingdom. And I am Princess Haley of Wyngardium Hollow." Haley said, curtseying. This made their mouths drop open even more, and caused Flame to turn his red eyes to Zoe, who was looking smug.
"Then, that is how you knew about us. But...you've been working on a farm for the past few weeks! How could you stand it?" Marie cried. Haley grinned.
"Easily. We just kept telling ourselves that we would be going home soon. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen." She said slowly. Both Annie and Garret looked apologetic.
"I really think that we should move on, though, and soon. Conrad will soon come home and find us gone, and no doubt rouse the royal guard to look for us." Garret reminded them, causing Marie to shiver.
"Don't make me go back. I can't face him...now." She whimpered. Haley put her arm around Marie and hugged her.
"You can come with us. But I am sure that you won't always be safe. We are putting a lot at stake." She warned. Marie's eyes widened and she nodded silently.
"All right, then, it is agreed. On to the next town. Are you feeling up for a trip, Anthea?" Garret asked, looking at Annie in worry. She looked quite exhausted from the battle.
"Wait, wait, wait! Who is 'Anthea'?" Haley asked, frowning. Chang's face turned cold as he looked pointedly at Annie. Haley gasped and then smiled.
"Oh, is that your whole name? I like it! It suits you, somehow." She giggled. Annie, or Anthea, as Garret called her, smiled and looked at the ground.
"I will be fine, Garret. Come. We are loosing sunlight." She whispered, climbing onto her horse. Flame watched her for a moment, glared heatedly at Zodiac, and then transformed back into his lizard-form. Zodiac smirked and took the time to send a tongue of flame upon the small lizard, before she, too, changed back. Flame, who seemed unharmed, glared at her and then scurried up on Anthea's shoulder.
"Um...I take it they don't get along..." Haley stated the obvious, trying to keep her laughter in check as she climbed onto her horse. Anthea grinned.
"No." She answered, as they all turned their horses in the direction of the next town.
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
The Alluring Anthea
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
"Working is a lot harder than I thought it would be." Haley sighed, as she collapsed in a haystack two weeks later. Chang sat down next to her, absentmindedly petting Zoe, who was cooing softly. They were in the barn, cooling off. It was a hot day, just before supper time, and Chang and Haley had spent the whole day working in the kitchens and the fields.
"Chang?" Haley asked, rising up on her elbows.
Still Chang said nothing. Instead, he sat up straighter and looked around, alert. Something was not right.
"Do you feel that?" Zodiac asked, turning her little head towards the direction from which a bright white aura came. It flashed brightly, and then dissipated. But it was still there, all the same.
"Has either of you seen Annie?"
Haley and Chang turned around to see Garret and Marie standing in the barn's doorway. For once, Marie looked frightened and unsure of herself, and Garret was holding several well-packed saddle-bags in his arms.
"No, why?" Haley asked, standing up and helping Garret with the bags. He walked over to Chang's horse and draped one over it's back. Then he did the same with the other saddle bags, until five horses were packed well, and ready to go...somewhere. Then he turned around and faced them, his face like a thundercloud.
"We have to go. This morning, I was working in the fields when I heard a horse ride up to the house. It was the Queen and she ordered Conrad to..." He paused, at a loss for words.
"She ordered papa to kill you all." Marie sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Haley stood up in shock.
"She what?! Why would she do that?" She hissed. 'How could she possibly know?' She added in her mind. Garret sighed and shrugged.
"I don't have any idea. But we have to leave, now! Conrad has gone into town, and he shouldn't be back until sundown. That should give us time to escape to the next town." Garret said, mounting one of the horses. Haley gasped.
"But our things! And this is so soon...how will we ever..." She stammered, as Chang pushed her towards her horse.
"They packed our things. Now up." He commanded, as he climbed onto his own horse. No one questioned the fact that Chang already knew what was going on, because they were already on their horses, trotting towards the shelter of the nearby forest.
~*~*~*~
"This is where we felt the aura." Haley whispered to Chang five minutes later, as they journeyed further into the forest. Chang nodded and then looked around, confused. The aura seemed to be all around them, now.
"Annie?! ANNIE!!!" Garret yelled, standing up in his stirrups and looking high above them. Chang looked up as well and nearly fell off his horse. There, struggling against bindings of wood and earth, was the pale Annie. The piece of fabric that hid her hair had fallen off, to reveal long, pale blonde hair that fell from her head like a silken sheet. Even more shocking, beside her stood a towering gold dragon, whose red eyes were focused on the intruders.
"Well, I think we found the mistress of the Czarina Cards." Haley said in awe, as she watched Annie struggle against her bonds. Chang growled. How could he have been so foolish? She had been right there in front of his face the whole time, and he had never even felt an aura from her; he did now, though. Her aura was white, with all the colors of the rainbow mixed in. It was not quite as powerful as his, but it was powerful enough.
"Weakling. Two of the toughest cards to capture have teamed up to fight against her. If she had any skill at all, she would have separated them apart by now." Chang sniffed. This did not go over well with the gold dragon.
"What do you know, gaki?" It hissed in a deep voice. (a/n: sound familiar? Hehehe) Xzodia, who was on Chang's shoulder, hissed and quickly changed into her true form. She growled threateningly at the gold dragon, who looked just as shocked to see her, as she had been to see him a few minutes ago.
"Um, as much as this must be important to you, I do need some help here. None of my cards will work!" Annie yelped, as a vine twisted around her body and squeezed her. Chang growled again and then summoned his sword.
"Fire! Burn the vines! Water! Cause the earth to turn muddy!" Chang yelled, as his sword connected with two of his cards. They sprang into action, tearing the two elements away from each other. Fire charred the wood card, and water caused the earth card to loose its upper hand. Annie fell from the hold of the wood card and landed on her dragon's outstretched neck.
"Capture them, now." Chang commanded, looking bored. Annie glared at him but did as she was told. The elements were changed back into their cards in a matter of seconds, but they weren't finished yet. To Annie's shock and Chang's horror, Chang's cards floated over to Annie's and they began to spin around in a circle. Chang's other cards flew out of his pockets and then joined with Annie's two in the dance. All the while, Haley, Garret, and Marie were watching in amazement, while the two dragons simply looked outraged as they watched the floating cards.
Suddenly, two of Chang's cards darted out and collided with Annie's Wood and Earth cards, causing a flash of light to temporarily blind them. When it finally dissipated, all the cards were gone, accept for Annie's two, which were lying on the ground. Chang reached into his pocket and pulled out his cards, looking through them in confusion.
"My Wood and Earth are gone." He stated. Annie gasped as she picked up her cards.
"What are *these*?! These aren't the Czarina Cards!" She yelped, holding out the cards. They were green and white, with strange symbols on them. Annie turned over one of the cards and look at the back.
"Unity." She read. Xzodia looked over her shoulder and groaned.
"Oh no! This can't be happening!" She cried. Chang and Annie looked at her in confusion.
"What?" They asked in unison. The gold dragon, meanwhile, was alternately knocking his head against a tree and glaring at Chang menacingly. Every time his head hit the tree, he caused it to shake, making pine needles fall on Haley, Garret and Marie, who were trying not to laugh at how silly he looked. Zoe, however, did not find him funny, and she glared at him.
"I will give it to you straight out. Your decks of magical cards are identical, so you each have the same amounts of cards. For some strange reason, your cards have merged with hers, Xiao-Chang. They merge to become one, twice as powerful card, that you both are the master of. So your Wood and Earth cards have merged with hers, to become the Unity Cards. I wonder if your mother expected this?" Zoe wondered aloud, completely ignoring Chang's and Annie's horrified looks.
"*My* cards have merged with *his*?!"
"*My cards have merged with *hers*?!"
Annie and Chang asked in horrified unison. Haley was now holding her stomach, her face red from suppressing her laughter, while Garret had buried his face in his arm, as his chuckles became louder and louder. Marie had no idea what was going on, but she found the situation funny anyway. Zoe and the gold dragon, who must have been Flame, were glaring at each other heatedly, their eyes flashing with dislike for each other.
"All right, I came on this mission to find and keep the master of the *Czarina Cards* safe. Mother said nothing about 'Unity Cards'!" Chang yelled. Haley's giggles got the best of her.
"Perhaps Aunt Sakura didn't tell you, because she knew how you would react! Rose sure seemed to know, though!" Haley laughed, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. For the first time in his life, Chang had met someone who dared to stand up against him! Moreover, it was a girl! This made the whole situation even more hilarious to her.
"Wait! Aunt Sakura? You mean Princess Sakura of the Li kingdom?! She is your *mother*?!" Marie yelped, causing everyone to look at Chang. His face became impassive and he was once again the boy that Haley knew all to well.
"She is." Was all he said. Marie gave a little shriek, while Garret and Annie became pale.
"That would make you a prince." Garret said slowly. Chang said nothing.
"He is. Prince Li Xiao-Chang of the Li kingdom. And I am Princess Haley of Wyngardium Hollow." Haley said, curtseying. This made their mouths drop open even more, and caused Flame to turn his red eyes to Zoe, who was looking smug.
"Then, that is how you knew about us. But...you've been working on a farm for the past few weeks! How could you stand it?" Marie cried. Haley grinned.
"Easily. We just kept telling ourselves that we would be going home soon. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen." She said slowly. Both Annie and Garret looked apologetic.
"I really think that we should move on, though, and soon. Conrad will soon come home and find us gone, and no doubt rouse the royal guard to look for us." Garret reminded them, causing Marie to shiver.
"Don't make me go back. I can't face him...now." She whimpered. Haley put her arm around Marie and hugged her.
"You can come with us. But I am sure that you won't always be safe. We are putting a lot at stake." She warned. Marie's eyes widened and she nodded silently.
"All right, then, it is agreed. On to the next town. Are you feeling up for a trip, Anthea?" Garret asked, looking at Annie in worry. She looked quite exhausted from the battle.
"Wait, wait, wait! Who is 'Anthea'?" Haley asked, frowning. Chang's face turned cold as he looked pointedly at Annie. Haley gasped and then smiled.
"Oh, is that your whole name? I like it! It suits you, somehow." She giggled. Annie, or Anthea, as Garret called her, smiled and looked at the ground.
"I will be fine, Garret. Come. We are loosing sunlight." She whispered, climbing onto her horse. Flame watched her for a moment, glared heatedly at Zodiac, and then transformed back into his lizard-form. Zodiac smirked and took the time to send a tongue of flame upon the small lizard, before she, too, changed back. Flame, who seemed unharmed, glared at her and then scurried up on Anthea's shoulder.
"Um...I take it they don't get along..." Haley stated the obvious, trying to keep her laughter in check as she climbed onto her horse. Anthea grinned.
"No." She answered, as they all turned their horses in the direction of the next town.
~*~*~*~