Prince of Penance

Chapter Eighteen: Beauty and The Beast


Sunni woke to the sound of a knock on her bedroom door. She pulled her quilt around herself, yawned, then stumbled to the door, thinking that maybe Cubbi was going to bug her about breakfast.

But she was confronted with a young page, a small young bear with the royal servant's clothes on, who held out a letter to Sunni without so much as a word, then ran for it.

"Oh what's this?" Sunni looked at the plain envelope with her name upon it, then opened it and carefully pulled out the plain slip of manilla parchment.

"Oh its from Bryton!" she declared happily, and walked over to her bed to sit and skim over it.

Dearest Sunni, meet me in the gallery in an hour, I have something to ask you. No formal clothes needed, I just want to talk to you. Prince Bryton.

"Odd to get a note from him so early in the morning. Oh well, Bryton wants to see me again!" she squealed happily, then ran to her wardrobe to throw open the doors and start looking for a suitable outfit for a clandestine meeting.

But the gallery was empty. She pouted, and walked along the length of it, ignoring the creepy paintings and heading towards the last spot she had spoken with him here; the bookshelf. Of course there were no candles here today...and did that curtain move?

Sunni, relax, you're creeped out by this room for no reason!

It didn't help that she was so close to that creepy picture of Gusto casting a spell. The whole room was full of strange paintings of very strange people. But she realized that if she ever became Bryton's wife, her own face would be in this room too.

What a strange thought...Marry Bryton? I hardly know him!

She saw the curtain move again, and shivered.

"Must be an air vent," she said, and then approached the curtain very slowly, and with a very careful motion reached out to grasp it and pull it open.

Nothing. Just a cracked window, the breeze blowing in gently. It smelled of sea salt and sweet flower pollen.

Boy Sunni, your imagination really is active this morning. Really, its just a curtain!

She dropped the curtain and turned to leave, then felt with a thrill of horror and a rush of dread two hands come out to wrap around her, one on her mouth and one around her waist.

"Don't scream or struggle," said the voice behind her ear, which was definitely not Bryton's voice. "You should feel honoured. You will be serving a great purpose this day. A great purpose."

Sunni tried to scream, and she definitely did struggle, but she soon felt the power of a magic spell come over her, and her body went limp. Her captor turned her around to face him, and she felt her eyes widen in horror.

HIM?

"Don't worry, dear Sunni Gummi," said her captor, crooning in a soft courtly voice. "Soon you will fulfill a far greater purpose to the people of Monteray than being the beloved of the Prince. Soon, my dear Sunni, you will sacrifice all to make me the King!"

I'll never help you you slimy rat! Sunni mentally screamed.

But that was all she could do, for the darkness of his magic overtook her and she fell unconscious.

-seperator-

Grammi was highly worried about Sunni. She hadn't been at breakfast, nor had she been present for the family meeting in which they discussed Gusto's imminent departure.

Now, standing on the dock, waiting as the men boarded the boat to leave, she was feeling panicked. Where was Sunni? Grammi turned to give Gusto a hug once he approached her, and frowned.

"I can't find Sunni anywhere. I know she'd be so disappointed she missed you."

"Its not like her to not be here," said Gusto with a sigh. "Gruffi isn't here either..."

Gruffi going missing was actually part of the plan; he was going to board the ship with Gusto in a sailor's disguise. But Grammi feigned a similar worry for Gruffi that she had for Sunni.

"Aww, Sunni's probably sulking that she didn't get to go too," Cubbi said, right on cue. "Gruffi's probably trying to drag her out of her old room right now!"

But Sunni didn't arrive, and Grammi gave one last comforting hug to Gusto before the bear boarded the ship resolutely, followed by Karse and Prince Bryton. Bryton stopped to look at Grammi.

"Where is dear Sunni? I have not seen her at all today."

That worried Grammi. Wouldn't Sunni have wanted to farewell her sweetheart? Or maybe she had stolen away on the ship with him, like Gruffi? If this was so, Grammi wasn't going to give her away, but she was upset nonetheless.

"I haven't seen her all morning. I think she might be sick though from all the exotic food she ate last night. I never saw her leave her room this morning."

Bryton nodded, woefully, and then turned to hug his Mother goodbye.

"Keep an eye out for her for me, will you?" he said to them both. "I fear I may have made her the target of more than just jealousy by dancing with her last night."

Both women nodded, and Bryton ascended the plank onto the ship, eyes scanning the crowds of "fare thee well" wishers in hopes of seeing her.

Grammi knew one thing was for sure; when she got her hands on Sunni they would be having a stern talk.

"Don't worry Grammi, I bet Sunni's just fine," Cubbi said, though the worry was in his voice. "I'll ask Sir Wallaby if he'll help me go look for her! He doesn't do much else of anything and he'll be more than happy to help a lady in distress!"

"You do that Cubbi dear," Grammi said. "Queen Thistle Rose, might I have a chat with you alone for a wee minute or two?"

"Please, call me Misti, or Mistletoe if you want to be formal," said the Queen with a smile. "And, once the ship is off in the distance, we can go back to my suite for a chat, certainly. I too am worried about Sunni. The Augustus clan has many enemies, I'm afraid."

Grammi pressed her fingers to her cheek in fear at Misti's solemn comments, and put a hand on Cubbi's head. Zummi took her hand and nodded at her gently.

Nothing more that she could do about it, if Sunni was on the ship. They would just have to wait and see.

-seperator-

When Sunni woke, she was in a dark place. Her hands were tied, and she had a gag on her mouth. She was blind folded. A quick wriggle told her that she was inside a barrel.

Great, shipped off to somewhere in a barrel like Gummi Berry juice! thought Sunni mournfully. Bryton must be on this ship somewhere though! If only I were free, I'd go to him at once and tell him about that that, rat!

Sunni cried a little, then dragged up what courage she had to try and start working on her binds. She had managed to get a few fingers loose when the lid of her barrel was lifted and there was Dalli Bella of all people, staring down at her with all the self-righteous candour of a royal house cat that has been handed a bowl of cream from the hands of Queen herself. She reached out to remove the gag from Sunni's mouth, then pulled her out of the barrel and untied her, but left her blindfolded.

"Now now, no need to struggle or scream, for soon you'll fulfill your purpose. You will be a beautiful sacrifice."

"A sacrifice, for what?" Sunni demanded, trying to be brave.

"Oh, you will see soon enough," said Dalli, eyes twinkling. "You will see soon enough, for now the time is right. You should not have gotten so close to the Prince. Now you are more important than your tiny little brain could possibly even fathom."

And she pulled Sunni, struggling, towards the nearest doorway. Sunni kicked and struggled but was dragged fully against her will.

"SUNNI???"

Sunni jumped at the sound of Bryton's voice, and a hand reached up to pull the blindfold from her eyes. Felli Bella, Dalli's father.

"Release her you monster!" said a familiar voice, which was Gruffi.

"All in good time," Felli Bella chuckled. "All in good time."

-seperator-

Gusto leaned upon the railing of the ship, staring out into the frothing waves. Four hours had passed since they had departed from the shore, and there was no sign of Gruffi anywhere on the ship. Of course he was hiding somewhere, he could feel the other bear's presence over every inch of this ship. But he wanted to see Gruffi. To verify visually that he was all right. Gusto felt edgy, and tense, and the choppy waters must have been hard on Gruffi's stomach.

What if he's sea sick again?

Bryton strode over to the rail next to Gusto, saying very little of anything for a time. Standing next to one another, their obvious height difference, and the slightly different shades of blue of their fur, were such a contrast. Two different bears, but on the same quest..

"Are you...nervous?" said Bryton cautiously. "I know I am. I've never done battle before...its something of a test of my abilities."

"A lot like the Barbic Rite of Bearhood," Gusto said, not sure what to think of this casual conversation. "I'm sorry we went against, ah, your wishes, about the name thing."

"It was something Mother wanted," Bryton admitted, fingering the edges of his jacket nervously. "I just love her name, Thistle Rose. Maybe I'll save it for my first daughter."

"Maybe..." Gusto agreed, feeling relief that Bryton wasn't angry. "It is a nice name. I just think she wanted a change."

"She's always been a bit different," Bryton agreed. "I saw all the paintings she did of you. I think I'm the only person who has seen them."

"Art runs in the family," Gusto chuckled. "There's an old Augustus Clan saying; If it exists, you can paint it."

"I never tended towards art," admitted Bryton. "I like books, and history, and my studies. It is much more interesting to me."

"S'pose so. Maybe I should sketch something, that'll calm me down."

"You did pack supplies for art then, I knew you might," Bryton chuckled. "Well I won't keep you from it."

Gusto occupied himself for a time with sketching the sea. It was one of his favourite subjects. It was his home, his life, and all that his life had become. From Monteray Island to the Island he had been imprisoned on, to the shores and streams of Gummi Glen. The sea, the rivers, were like a balm, like the calm before the storm. The ocean was home.

So he was totally and completely distracted in his drawing when the spell hit him, from out of nowhere, trapping him in its deatlhy magical grip.

"Well, its time now that we fulfilled our purpose!" shouted a voice behind him. "I see no point in hiding any longer, seize them all!"

Around him was the scuffling of feet as Admiral Karse and Prince Bryton did battle with the pirates who had been, hitherto until then, disguised at sailors. They pulled their costumes off and laughed at the Prince and the Admiral.

"What is the meaning of this, Felli Bella!?" shouted Admiral Karse in a snarl.

"Oh I'm not Felli Bella," said the voice, the clopping sound of heavy limping coming up from behind him. "Prince Augustus here would know me well, however, for he served me for many years."

"The Master Wizard!" said Karse with a snarl. "So that's why you wanted to come on this trip, and why you defended Augustus!"

"Correct," said The Wizard. "Felli Bella has been dead these many long years and I have taken his place, and his wife, for my own. Now, my daughter and I shall rule this vast coast. All my creature needs is a little more power, one victim more, and I will have the strongest weapon any wizard could ever hope to command! And once the competition out of the way, my daughter will be free to Marry you, my Prince. You will have to comply."

"Never!" said Bryton fiercely. "I will NEVER let you and your spawn rule Monteray!"

"Oh no?" The Wizard chuckled. "With your island and your people held hostage by me and my pirates and my monster, you will eventually come to see reason."

"Not if I can help it!"

With dread and horror in his breast, Gusto heard Gruffi's voice like a mallet to his heart.

Oh Gruffi no, NO!

There followed a scuffle, which couldn't have gone very well, for the Wizard said, "Tie him up with the others!"

"You'll never get away with this!" said Karse. "You and that horrible apprentice of yours have cost us so much, you'll never be able to control the people, they'll never love or obey you!"

Gusto mentally winced, but the Wizard chuckled.

"Ah yes. Gusto is now once again in my thrall, under my spell, and with one more victim the monster will have enough power to not need a soul bound to its flesh! To my folly, this one has gotten out of my grasp more often than once," the wizard poked the back of Gusto's head, which was tingling as if on pins and needles. "You see I used him as completely now as I'm using you. Prince Augustus is my pawn. I was the one who summoned the mighty Kraken, for the beast can only be summoned if it is tied to a mortal, taking the shape of that mortal's deepest fears. Prince Augustus has been a victim this whole time, taking the blame for me and creating my monster for me with his pain. How...convenient."

"So...the creature really is the fabled Kraken of legend!" said Gruffi.

"True. Augustus thought we were going to just kidnap Prince Jenka, and use a spell to break the binding magic between Jenka and the Queen, anything to free his beloved sister. But really, Jenka was the first wall between me and the throne, and I planned for him to be the first sacrifice for the Kraken. Yes, I have been planning all this for a long time. Just needed the perfect pawn."

"You'll never control Monteray," said Bryton hotly. "I refuse. I'll die before I marry your daughter!"

"And speaking of my daughter," said the Wizard, ignoring the Prince. "She has the final part of the puzzle; the ultimate prize will soon in my grasp. She and I have worked very hard to provide the creature with a proper...sacrifice."

Gusto heard the wizard snap his fingers, and the sound of feet moving and the door to the cabin opened. All motion ceased save for the struggling of The Wizard's chosen victim.

"SUNNI!"

By the Great Gummis no! Not her! Anything but her!

"Release her you monster!" said a familiar voice, which was Gruffi, whose voice was now hoarse with worry.

"All in good time," the Wizard's voice chuckled from somewhere nearby. "All in good time. But first, all my crew, and all those who are not the intended victim, shall be tied to the ship, lest they accidentally fall overboard and become the victim of the Kraken. Yes, yes, yourselves too. Put out the gang plank men, this shall be my finest hour. And make sure to tie Prince Augustus well, I shan't chance that the creature may still be tied to him after this sacrifice, though I don't think he will. I don't believe so..."

Gusto felt a rope tied around his waist, and the whole coil of the rope was dropped at his feet. The other end was tied to the main mast along with the other sixteen members of the crew. Sunni was sobbing quietly now, and Gruffi was trying to console her from where he was tied.

"And now," said the Wizard, putting an end to all the sanity that he may have had left, "I shall summon the Kraken."

The Wizard moved himself to the side of the boat, between Gusto and the railing, and sat down upon a barrel cross legged, like a little pirate squab readying himself for a rousing sea chanty. He pulled the Seal flute from his pocket, a small wooden device in the shape of a seal, and started to play a melody which Gusto knew so well. It had been played many times before, but this time the song pulled more and more energy from Gusto to the Kraken than he had remembered it would, every note like the bite of a vampire's fangs in his throat drawing blood.

"Gangplank be ready, Master!" said one of the pirates. "Shall I make the sacrifice ready, sir?"

"I don't want to be a sacrifice, let me go you goons!" Sunni cried. "Help!"

"Easy dear easy, you aren't a sacrifice yet, yes take her to the gang plank, but make sure to tie yourself down first."

"Let her go you animal!" said Bryton in despair. "Free her, I command it!"

"Would you turn Monteray over to me if I did?" said the Wizard, clearly trying to get any sort of response from the Prince.

"N...no. No I couldn't...I couldn't risk the lives of hundreds of people...over the life of one...I'm sorry Sunni...I love you, I love you, but I also love my people."

Bryton was crying now, like a young cub, too helplessly young to have to make any sort of decision like this one. But now Gusto felt rage fill him. The Wizard was using manipulation spells on the Prince anyway to get the answer he wanted! He had wanted to kill Sunni regardless!

But Gusto had one trick up his sleeve, and he slowly, so as not to garner the notice of the Wizard, started gently tapping into the magical line between himself and Zummi.

Zummi seemed to realize his magic was being tapped for he didn't fight against the pull, and gently added to it himself from the other end of the line. Gusto would break free from the spells on himself and free Sunni. Somehow. It was taking some time to work at his magical bonds, as he had to relearn all the old magic that fifteen years had erased from his mind.

Then all action paused and he felt a sudden draw of power being pulled from him as if he had been cut open and was gushing blood from the wound. The seas boiled, the ship swayed back and forth, the waves began frothing and crashing against the side of the boat; a great storm seemed to blowing in. Lightening crashed in the distance, thunder drew in around them with its pounding drum beat rhythm. The seas boiled, and the ocean start spinning around them.

"Ready yourselves men, don't let the boat be pulled into the whirlpool! Keep hard to starboard!"

Gusto felt a thrill of dread and an ecstacy of fear like nothing he had ever felt before, and he froze, every hair on his body standing up on end.

The Kraken had come at last.

----OOH! Cliffhangers! I love cliffhangers! But you may not, so don't worry. Next chapter will be a good one. ;) Heheheh. Make sure you read all the chapters previous to this; I post chapters in multiples sometimes and going automatically to the most recent chapter may not give you all the information you need.