revis and matticus save the kingdom, chapter 1

The journey, the quest if you will, that you are about to embark upon is the first chapter in a new serial combining the talents of both Revis and I.  We both contribute to each chapter and the posts will bounce back and forth between our blogs.  You should expect some great guest appearances, some good fight sequences and a whole lot of silly.  Sit back, grab a beer if you feel so inclined, or whatever else you like to drink (water, milk, vodka), and join us as we travel far and wide to save the kingdom from imminent doom.

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There Matticus was, minding his own business, having some fun, (throwing some meat,) when Revis, the kingdom’s first (and only) knight barged into his throne room.  Hmm.  Well, it’s not really his throne room, but it is his kingdom, he was sitting on the throne though, as was his way when the queen wasn’t around, and the prince isn’t big enough yet to sit on his own.  They have first rights to it, but in their absence Matticus gets to sit on it.  Well, we can’t say sitting is accurate, he was more sprawled across it, legs danging off one of the arms, while he juggled some knives to pass the hours.  If the queen had walked in she wouldn’t have approved, mostly because of the knife play more than sitting in her place… it all gets a bit confusing really.

Anyway, in barged Revis, flustered, flushed, and out of breath.  Matticus could tell right away that something dire was going on.  Revis wasn’t the sort to get worked up over nothing.  He caught the dancing blades and straightened on the throne.

“Trusted knight, don’t bother with the formalities,” Revis had begun to bend a knee, “what troubles you?”

Revis looked around the room, and caught his breath, before answering. Shaking his head, he said, “I can’t believe that I didn’t notice that the queen wasn’t here. I don’t need to kneel to you.”

Matticus decided to ignore the slight, for now. He planned on repaying the knight back later. “So…. what’s going on?”

“Sorry. There’s been an invasion into the kingdom.”

“An invasion? Who is invading us?”

“Not a question of who, your Jesterness. It’s a question of what.”

“Ok. What is invading us?”

“Vampires.”

“Oh no! There are blood-sucking vampires running loose in the kingdom?”

“Not exactly…”

“What do you mean?”

“They don’t suck blood.”

“If they don’t suck blood, they can’t be vampires.”

“No. They’re vampires. They are just sparkly vampires.”

“Define ‘sparkly’.”

“You’ll know it when you see it. We need to go now. These vampires are casting some sort of spell over the populace. I can’t explain it. You have to see it with your own eyes.”

“What about your wife and daughter?”

“I have them hidden away. They’re being guarded by a trusted associate. Do you have anything that you need to take care of before we go?”

Matticus jumped from his throne, “The queen is out and about.  You know her.  And the little prince is with his advisors where I’m sure he is really teaching them a thing or two.  That kid… I swear he is already smarter than well, I guess that doesn’t really matter right now.  They’re both safe.”

“Can we go then?”  Revis was ready to be off.

“Sparkly?”

“Yes.”

Frowning, Matticus looked around the throne room, drinking it all in.  The giant throne itself, the towering shelves full of books, the toys scattered across the floor, the two cats sprawled in various poses of contempt and indifference…

He knew he should warn the queen and say goodbye to the prince, but that seemed like a lot of work and he could tell that Revis was anxious to get on the hunt.

“Should we stop by the armory first?  Do we need anything special for the journey?”

Revis responded almost immediately, “I already have everything I need.  I came prepared in case I ran into any of them on the way here, but you should definitely grab a few things.”

Nodding, Matticus led the way to the armory to get outfitted for the quest. He looked around, taking in the large variety of weaponry. While he was no novice to battle (he did have a kingdom to protect, after all), he was not as comfortable around weapons as Revis was. Matticus turned to ask his knight for his opinion on which weapon to use, but Revis was nowhere to be seen. Wondering where his companion could have gone to, he turned back only to find him standing right next to the sword he was just looking at.

“You should use this one,” Revis commented.

“How do you do that,” Matticus asked.

“A good magician does not tell you how he does his tricks.” After a short pause, the First Knight continued, “Luckily for you, I’m not a magician. My wedding ring is not just a wedding ring. It is also magical. The ring can turn me invisible.”

Matticus shook his head in amusement as Revis went around the room pointing out the equipment that he should put on. When they had everything that they needed, the two men walked out of the front gate of the castle. Just outside the gate, they were met by a beautiful woman. Matticus looked to Revis for an introduction, but the First Knight instead said to her, “You don’t have to hide your identity from him, my dear. Show him who you really are.”

Slowly, her form began to shift until, after a minute, her true form appeared. She was a dragon.  Her scales were radiant in the sun.  Her eyes were wise.  Her teeth and claws were razor sharp.

Matticus thought about unsheathing his sword but noticed that Revis was unafraid and understood that meant there was probably nothing to fear.  Still, he couldn’t help but slide his eyes back and forth between the magnificent creature and his trusted knight.  Revis noticed and addressed the creature again to spare his jester king any further discomfort, “Rara, what are you doing here?”

Matticus was relieved, he had heard many stories of Rara and they all only spoke of her benevolence and her desire to aid those in need.

“I had heard the kingdom was under attack and thought some information I have regarding the sparkly vampires could be useful on your quest.”  While she spoke softly, her words held tremendous power and they rumbled and echoed off the bricks of the castle.

Intrigued that so many people (first Revis and now Rara) could have knowledge of these sparkly vampires before he did, Matticus made a mental note to address his counselors when he returned.  In the meantime, though, he knew that Rara could be trusted, “Please, tell us what you know.”

“The vampires began congregating in Bruges, the city on the banks of the Golden Sea. From there, I know that some of them went to the island in the center of the sea, but where the rest of them went is unknown to me.”

“Not Bruges,” they both cried in unison.

“What is the problem with Bruges,” Rara asked.

“Bruges is a shi…”

“Revis,” Matticus scolded. “Not in front of our distinguished guest!”

“…..hole.”

Rara laughed at the two men. “I must get back. My mate and I will continue to keep your family safe, First Knight. If you need me, you know how to contact me.”

With her powerful legs, she lept into the air. The dragon unfurled her wings, catching the current, and began floating away. Revis watched as she began flapping her wings, speeding her journey along. Turning his attention back to his companion, Revis muttered, “I guess we’re going to Bruges.”