Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 14:05:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Really Bigdreamer <reallybigdreamer@yahoo.com>
Subject: Pop Magic Chapter II

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is
meant to imply anything about any of the celebrities
mentioned, which I am in no affiliated. Also, this
story is not meant for those under age 18 or for those
who find m/m situations uncomfortable.

Author's Note: I know I said I'd submit Chapter II
next week, but I've got LOADS of mail (thank you all,
keep it coming!) and I felt like I needed to get out
Chapter II this week instead of next. Hope you like
and don't forget to send feedback:

reallybigdreamer@yahoo.com



Previously: Prince Justin of Luthinia was kidnapped
and Joshua Chasez, son of the legendary knight
Jonathan Chasez, appeared at the castle. Joshua
defeated the greatest knight in the kingdom and set
off to rescue the prince. He immediately encountered a
friend of his, Lancelot, an apprentice of the greatest
sorcerer to ever live, Merlin. Lance joined the
adventure, but they were being followed by something
and Lance uncovered a forest elf. Refusing to explain
himself the elf called for help, and an ogre has
appeared and threatens to destroy the duo before their
adventure truly begins...

Chapter II: The Unlikely Pair

Joshua and Lance stood with mouths agape, frozen in
fear. The little forest elf managed to struggle from
Lance's spell and scuttled quickly behind the large
ogre's foot. Large indeed, standing at least ten feet
tall it towered over the two young men. Its skin was
leathery, and a very pale green in color. A large
cloth covered itself. It held a wooden club in its
right hand that must have been at least five feet long
and thick as a tree.

It bellowed loudly to shake the two from their trance
and they took a few steps backward, never taking their
eyes off of the ogre.

"Do something," Joshua whispered.

"Like what?" Lance asked confused.

"You're a wizard aren't you?" Joshua replied angrily.

"I'm still being trained it'd take several minutes for
a wizard of my level to work a spell intricate enough
to take down an ogre," Lancelot explained, then added,
"especially one this size."

"I've seen bigger," Joshua said courageously as he
unsheathed his sword and stepped forward.

"As have I," Lance said to himself as his friend
continued to stride forward, "though if not for Merlin
I wouldn't have lived to tell the tale."

The ogre bellowed again to try to scare Joshua off
without a fight, though Joshua had been taught to not
show fear, something that he had failed at a few
moments earlier. Joshua began to size up how to strike
the ogre, who was at least four feet taller than he.
Joshua twirled his sword around once to loosen his
wrist and prepare to strike but was too late.

The ogre brought his massive club down less than a
foot away from where Joshua stood, and had sent chunks
of earth spraying in all directions, which knocked
Joshua off his feet momentarily. Only momentarily
though as he quickly got up and lunged towards the
monster's left calf with his sword. Making contact the
sharp blade barely split the skin of the ogre, which
sent a few spurts of dark green blood dribbling down
the beast's leg.

The ogre roared in pain and took a step back, the elf
jumped high into the air from his perch on the ogre's
shoulder, and landed right Joshua's head. Immediately
Joshua grabbed the elf and launched him into the
forest with the throw of one arm. He was unhurt by the
elf, but that wasn't the elf's intention at all. His
intention was to keep him occupied long enough to let
his ogre friend gain balance and launch another
attack, something that he succeeded at.

Joshua stared up in shock as the mighty ogre tried to
step on and crush Joshua. Joshua tried to run away
quickly, but his foot was snagged on something.
Quickly looking down he noticed that strange vines had
wrapped up around his two legs, immobilizing them. He
knew right away that this was the elf's doing, but it
didn't matter now since the ogre's foot quickly met
Joshua and knock backward. Pinned to the ground Joshua
lost grip of his sword and pushed with all his might
to force the five hundred pound ogre off of him, with
no luck. Joshua was slowly being crushed to death
when...

With a might roar from the ogre Joshua's squinted eyes
shot open to see a ray of blue energy shimmer to life
and strike the ogre with enough force to send him
flying several feet away and crashing into the heavily
wooded surroundings. Joshua rolled over quickly and
retrieved his sword before spinning around to see
where the attack had come from.

"Lancelot?" he asked when he spotted Lance standing
there calmly, spellbook open in one hand as blue steam
rose off the other.

Lance stood grim faced as the elf ran over to where
his wounded friend lay. The ogre slowly sat up, some
twenty or so feet from where Joshua and Lance had
gathered.

"Good shot wizard-boy," he mumbled slowly in a very
deep voice, though it was hard to tell whether he
spoke slowly because of the attack or because he
stupid, which was a common belief attributed to all
ogres.

The elf silently cast another spell and vines wrapped
around Lance and Joshua. Lance waved his right hand
and the vines fell off.

"Told you forest elves had weak magics," Lance said to
Joshua with a laugh, then he turned his attention back
their new enemies.

Both the elf and the ogre gasped as blue energy began
to crackle around Lance's hand again.

"Give up!" the elf shouted quickly in his high pitched
voice. "Give up! Give up! Surrender, we do!"

Lance dropped his hand and slammed his spellbook
closed with the other, the energy faded away.

"What are you doing?" Joshua whispered astonished.
"How do we know they truly surrender?"

"Elves do not lie," Lance stated matter-of-factly. "No
matter the breed, forest elves, mountain elves, desert
elves, snow elves, or whatever, an elf does not lie.
They believe that their word, what they say to others,
is the strongest thing they possess. Some say that if
an elf lies it withers away and dies in agony, though
this is just a myth and may not be true."

"So he could be lying?" Joshua asked.

"Doubtfully," Lance turned his attention to the
unlikely pair, "what do you want with us?"

"Thieves, we are," the elf explained.

"Oh great," Joshua muttered as he turned slightly
towards Lance, "they cannot lie, though they steal
just fine, hmm?"

Lance ignored him.

"Thieves?" he asked curiously. "What do you want with
human money? And attack the two of us?"

"Saw heavy sacks that jingled from your horses, I
did," the elf explained quickly, "thought it be
money."

"Again I ask, what do you want with human money?"

"We give it to our friends," the ogre said slowly as
it stumbled to its feet. "We've learned not all humans
are bad and hate us. We give money to them for being
kind. Sometimes we give money to bakers or butchers to
finer foods than we get in the forest."

"I see," Lance muttered under his breath, "though I
doubt those bakers and butchers give them a fair
price."

"You realize that they must be taking advantage of
them, the `kind' people they give money to that is,"
Joshua said, quickly losing interest in this.

"No, no, no!" the elf shouted as he jumped forward
closer to Joshua. "Kind to us, friends with us, they
were, long before money, we gave them!"

"I'm sorry, little one," Joshua said as he looked
towards where the horses had run off, "but we must
find out horses and be on our way."

"Important mission, eh?" asked the little elf.

"Yes and we really..." Joshua started to say.

"We will come!" the elf chirped. "It will be a payback
for attacking you and slowing you down today!"

"Really, we couldn't..." Lance tried to turn them down
politely, but...

"Of course, we will," the ogre said as he lumbered
over. "Who'd be foolish enough to attack an ogre, a
knight, and a wizard?"

"A-hem!" the elf cleared his throat.

"And Christopher here," the ogre added with a crooked
smile.

This suddenly caught Joshua's interest. Perhaps having
the two of them around would help. There were sure to
be bandits on the road ahead, and the ogre did look
fierce. Surely a person would be mad to try to steal
from a group like that. The scuffle today had slowed
them down, but without any further interruptions
they'd be make it there much faster.

"Alright," Joshua agreed, much to Lance's surprise.

"Do you give your word this is no trick?" Lance asked
the little elf.

"I give my word or give you my life, I will," the elf
said as he raised his right hand.

"What in God's name is he talking about?" Joshua
asked.

"He means that he promises this is no trick," Lance
explained, "and that if he goes back on his word you
may kill him."

"If it be a trick, kill him I will," Joshua said
sternly as he thrust his sword back into its scabbard.

"I am Christopher, this is Joseph," the elf said as he
gestured to himself then to the ogre.

"Nice to meet you," Joshua replied. "Now we must be
off to look for our horses.

It took nearly an hour to find Joshua's horse, which
carried the gold, though a whistle brought Wind Rider
back to Lance. They quartet set off again, Christopher
on Joseph's shoulder, and one of Joseph's strides long
being large enough to easily keep up with the horses.



Hope you liked it!!! Remember to send feedback to

reallybigdreamer@yahoo.com

Look for Chapter III next week, RBD :)