Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Though with what we've seen so far, it'll be interesting to see if she's flawed villain or just crazy psycho villain.

And why can't she be both?

[redtailedsaffa]

Ah, now we're talking.

[Cloak]

Now, a new chapter. About six more chapters to go.
 

CHAPTER TWELVE:
To the Pit With Them

"Please!  Please, my Queen, let me explain!" a troll pleaded. He had hair like Venusian clouds of sulfuric acid, smokey breath, yellowed teeth and diseased-looking lips.
 
"No, allow me, my Queen! He doesn't know much, really!" said another troll.  This sweaty one had sweat like toxic sludge, hair like a petroleum spill, and bearing a distinctly oily smell.
 
"Don't listen to them, my Queen!  They'll just place the blame solely on me!!" said the final troll.  He had sparse, wispy hair and he was skeletally thin.
 
Their squabbling then became more pronounced that their words became unintelligible. They didn't seem to notice or realize that this loud, obnoxious quarrelling was not making their case, but just annoying the Banned.  But they did not stop, did not halt this childish bickering.
 
"ENOUGH!" Queen roared when she had reached her limit, her tolerance of this immature passing of the blame. Queen had leaped to her feet in her fury.  The three trolls were on their knees immediately, bent over in a gesture of submission.  "I put you three in charge of assuring that the RAFians were properly sedated before I made my perfectly-worded wish."

"My Queen --"

"SILENCE!" Queen snarled.  "NO ONE TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD SPEAK!!"

The troll relapsed into abject silence again.

"I am quite cross with the three of you," she said, still fuming.  "You should realize what your failure means."

"No, my Queen!"

"Please, don't, my Queen!"

"It was their fault, my Queen!  I had nothing to do with it!"

"SILENCE." she said forcifully.  She called in more troll soldiers, and a sort of captain of the guard one. It was this one to whom she addressed next.  "Take these three to the Pits."

"No!" the three screamed in unison. Queen ignored it, as they were dragged away. When they were gone, she turned to this captain again, and said, "As for the RAFians, Captain."

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Kill them."

[redtailedsaffa]

Lovely.

[theyoungphoenix]

Mmhmm...

[Cloak]

Yeah, and now another new chapter. (Hey, it's my day-off. )

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Attempted RAFiancide

The trolls recieved their orders. They pointed their weaponry at the seemingly somnolent RAFians, preparing to cold-bloodedly slaughter, to heartlessly murder, them. However, things should never be taken at face value.

Dino's eye snapped open, with a low, angry growl. This caused the trolls to hesitate, even after Dino reared up to her full and considerable height.

Ever seen an angry ankylotyrannus? Well, it's an intimidating sight.

This bought time for the other RAFians to revive, and get to their feet.

The trolls, not being particularly smart, stood rooted to the spot. Some actually thinking that they would be able to stand against the angry RAFians. They hadn't the advantage of numbers this time. They were spread rather thin guarding the RAFians and the star (none thought to make a wish, as Queen threatened to cut off the arm that touched it).

Dino loomed over them, and said as casually menacing as she could, "Oh, don't make me eat you."

With this, several trolls lost their nerve and ran off. But a few stubborn stragglers remained, steadfastly obeying their orders.

"Really?" Gaz said, still a bit groggily. "Get out of the way!"

They refused.

Parker warmed up his weapons before asking, "Do you guys really want to be cannon fodder?"

Now there weren't any trolls left guarding the RAFians.

***

Meanwhile, Queen was deliberating on how to word her wish, apparently by snoozing in her makeshift throne.

She dreamed of the destruction of RAF, but nothing to the utter destruction that Malice always envisioned. Queen is and always was more benign in comparison, but no less vindictive, spiteful, and vengeful.

***

While this was happening, Cloak had come upon the scene seeing the blue star, realizing that it was definately not Esty.

[theyoungphoenix]

Yay for days off!!

[Cloak]

Quite.

*sips his soda, then cracks his knuckles and wiggles his fingers.*

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
The Giggly Star

Cloak watches passively as a lone figure makes a break for the star. Cloak knew it was a RAFian, via Earthsight. It took a moment longer, but he recognized the pattern of the footsteps.

It was Abby.

Cloak wondered how long could she remain unnoticed, how close could she get.

Suddenly, a chorus shattered the silent stillness. It was sung by the RAFians exiting some dungeon-like pavilion.

"She's heading for the wishing star."

This roused Queen and she schreeched to her trolls:

"Stop her before she gets too far!!"

But the trolls weren't as fast, as the RAFians completed their reprise. The troll guards and soldiers worked furiously to catch up, but they focused more on power than speed.

Cloak still could not fathom the big deal about this star wish thing. Clearly, it was something that was deeply coveted.

"Hello, Esty, what brings you here?" Cloak said without turning around.

"What's every one --" she began but stopped when she saw the bluish-white energy dome, believed to be the wishing star.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Queen roared.

Why? Because Abby was the first to reach the wishing star. The first to touch it.

She shut her eyes, focusing her mind on her wish, expecting it to come true.

But nothing happened.

She tried again, but the results didn't change. But a childish voice tittered.

Abby tried again, and was only greeted by giggling.

"What's wrong with this thing?!" she cried out, frustratedly.

[redtailedsaffa]

FAIL!

[theyoungphoenix]

Huh. Figures.

[Gaz]

Lovin the updates! Being out of town has made it hard to keep up.

[Cloak]

Sorry 'bout that, Gaz. But it is my day off and this book's nearly done . . .

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Estelore Explains It All*

"Figures," Abby said.  "GIMME MY WISH! I was here first, I touched the friggin' star first and -- DON'T YOU LAUGH AT ME, YOU -- !!!"

"Don't waste your breath, Abby. There is no wish." came a tone with concealed reproachfulness. It was Estelore.

"Huh?"

"This isn't a wishing star. I've never met such a thing. Stop wasting your energy." Estelore said in a clipped tone. Then she turned to the blue star, with masked fury. "That will be quite enough, Freddie. Stop this deception."

The star just giggled and tittered like a naughty, young child.

"Freddie, I said, enough." Estelore said with an air of determined calmness.

"Freddie" just tittered again, stifling laughs.

Estelore's patience was waning. She spoke warningly yet authoritatively, like a parent, "Freddie, I won't say it again."

But this "Freddie" would not obey.

Estelore lost her temper briefly, "NOW young man!! Don't make me come in there!"

Suddenly, the bluish-white energy dome structure vanished and the same boy that told Abby, Underseen, and Saffa to go after the star in the first place appeared.

"You are such naughty child, Freddie." Estelore said, regreting her loss of temper.

Abby wasn't so keen on forgiveness though. "'Naughty'? 'NAUGHTY'?! He told us that we'd have a wish! He --"

"Cool it, Abby." Cloak said. "I told you that it didn't exist. You allowed yourself to give your hopes up."

"You didn't know about this!"

"No, I didn't," Cloak admitted freely, "but I knew wish fulfillment could only happen with blood (or ichor), sweat, and tears. Not some magical star."

"And don't think you're going to get off scot-free from this, Freddie." Estelore said, seizing him by his now-normal-looking ear.

"Ow! That hurts, Aunt Estelore!"

That brought a resounding silence to the RAFians.

---
*Reference to that old Nickelodeon show, "Clarissa Explains It All".

[Gaz]

Days off are wonderful things.

[theyoungphoenix]

Aunty Estelore? Huh.

[redtailedsaffa]

Aunt?!

This Freddie the Star appeared briefly in some other book, if I recall correctly.