Chapter IV: Timberlake

                                 "The two black ones and the two brown ones are yours. Be careful with 'em."

 "Thank you, Troy. We best be off."

 Tyler came running back with his supplies. 

             Troy was right; horses could go a lot faster. We covered a lot of ground in a few hours.

 Now was time to camp.

 I sat down at the edge of the beach. How would we get across the ocean?

 "There's an old abandoned pirate ship. We can get all of our supplies on it, and the horses. It's massive. We're leaving now."

 "Really?"

 "Yes, don't you want to get to Timberlake City?"

 "It's over there?"

 "Yes, it is."

 Timberlake was the kingdom of all our kingdoms. 

 "Let's go." Mica smiled and walked down to the ship with me.

 

 "It hasn't been abandoned that long...just a month or so." I said, looking at an old journal.

 "Oh, so that means this Rootbeer is good?" Mica asked.

 "Should be, yes." I sat at a table with Mica while the boys stayed up top, steering.

 "What's it say?"

 "Well, listen;

                        No. We can't and won't carry on. The stone, obviously doesn't want to be found. So we'll leave Timberlake, head back to Reedville, and leave the ship here. Whoever dares to journey on can use this ship and everything in it. We're leaving this journal, so it can help them figure out the way. We got very, very close to finding it. We just aren't skilled fighters, and we hadn't expected fighting, since there was none until we got to the temple of Pohla. I wish you on your journey, well. Be prepared for the worst. Make sure those you love know you love them. Don't spend over two weeks in the city. Spend your time wisely! Practice fighting, practice everything you can imagine-and have a good time, because times will get hard.

  I cleared my throat.

 I looked at Mica, who was deep in thought.

 "Keep it with you." She said simply.

 "I will." I smiled, changing the subject. "So, someone has a little crush?"

 "What?"

 "Tyyyy-lerrr."

 "N-no..." Mica stood up and grabbed the ladder. 

 "Wh-"

 "Let's go up there-I'm not tired."

 I told Alistair about the journal entry.

 We were sitting alone, while Mica and Tyler laughed loudly while Tyler was steering.

 "Well, we'll stay for exactly two weeks." Al decided. "Then we'll be on."

 "Are you sure?

 "Yes," He sighed. "We'll be there in a few hours, probably, if not one."

 "Good." I smiled. "I need to sleep in a bed."

 "I need a full meal."

 We laughed. "You okay about Alex?"

 "I..." I knew Alex was better off. I never got upset when someone died. Not when my parents died, not anyone. "I spent so much time thinking he was dead, it's like seeing him alive was a dream." I whispered.

 "Yeah...he was my best friend. I told him everything. But, we'd grown apart and, like you, I thought he'd been dead for awhile."

 "We've all got each other. Mica's got Tyler, I've got you. Alex didn't have anyone, he never had the chance to. As long as we live out his quest, then I'll feel like he's okay, like he's happy, wherever he is."

 Alistair smiled. "You always have such an awkward look on things."

 "But I'm right,"

 

 Timberlake City bustled with people running around. 

 We walked up the steep hills toward the palace.

 Mica and Tyler giggled happily behind us, holding hands and talking quietly.

 Alistair held onto me. 

 "After we visit the King, we'll go get all of us some new clothes-and some food."

 "Hey, Alistair?" Tyler spoke up. "Where'd we get all the gold?"

 "My mom gave it to me-she thought I was going to Timberlake to...be free."

 "Well, we're here. No lies."

 

     "Prince Alistair! What a lovely surprise! Your Mother sent word that you were coming! I didn't know you'd have friends." The King eyed us suspiciously.

 "This is Elizabeth, Tyler, and Mica."

 "Ah. We only prepared one room..." The King was young, good looking, and nice. But he was very cautious. "Prepare another room!"

 Sharing a room? I glanced back at Mica and Tyler, who smiled still. 

 "If you don't mind, sir-"

 "Please! Call me Marcus!"

 "Marcus...we'd like to go to the shops before going to sleep."

 "Of course!" The king smiled. "Anything else?"

 "We have things back on our ship-well, horses."

 "I'll send the stables-men for them."

 "Thank you."

 "Ah, Alistair," Marcus said before we exited the palace. "I do await the time for us to talk alone,"

 

 I quietly looked around the tailor's shop with Mica.

 The tailor kept looking at me. When I went to pay, he sighed and said quite simply, "You're so pretty. Why are you in Timberlake?"

 "What do you mean?"

 "Timberlake...well, Amur? He's been making a lot of hits here. A lot. Especially on pretty young girls like you."

 "I don't imagine I'll have a problem with that."

 "Oh, don't tell me, you're a skilled fighter?"

 I laughed lightly. "Well, I guess you can say that...I used to hunt with my dad in the Wilds before he died."

 "The Wilds? Wow," He said nothing more.

 We all ate in silence.

 I don't know if it was because we all knew this was where the real journey started, or if it was because we knew this could very well be our last two weeks.

 "I talked to the king." Alistair broke the silence. "I convinced him to let us keep the horses there, but stay in the Inn."

 We all sighed happily.

 "And I got the two nicest rooms."

 "Great," Mica smiled.

 "Are you all done?" The waiter asked boredly.

 "Yes,"

 We payed and set off for the Inn.