Schala's Wedding

CHAPTER I: The Serum

The sun was shining on the Enchanted Kingdom of Zeal that day. Schala was outside on the balcony of Zeal Palace with her friend Galea. They were just talking and enjoying the beautiful day when Janus entered.

"Schala!" cried Janus.

Before Schala could answer Galea interrupted. "What do you want you little maggot?" snapped Galea.

Galea was a maolyn like Schala and Janus. She had dark blue hair and purple eyes. She was Schala's best friend, but she just could not stand Janus.

"If I was talking to you I would've barked so you could understand me," taunted Janus.

"What's wrong, Janus?" questioned Schala.

Janus gave one more angry look to Galea before answering. "I don't feel good," responded Janus.

Schala felt his forehead. It was hot. "You've got a slight fever. Maybe you should go and rest for awhile. I think you might be coming down with something," suggested Schala.

Janus took Schala's advice and left for his room. Alfador followed at his feet. Schala watched as he left. Alfador seemed to want to protect Janus. “Tonight, she thought, please watch over him.”

Is something wrong?" asked Galea.

"I think you should leave now," requested Schala, "Janus isn't well and might need my help."

Galea asked no further questions and proceeded to leave. She couldn't understand why Schala cared so much for Janus. He was such a little brat. He had no good points as far as she was concerned. She was an only child and didn't know what it was like to have siblings, let alone have one she got along with.

* * *

The rest of the day slipped uneventfully into night. Janus had not come out of his room since he had went in there to rest. He was feeling very sick and tired. Before Schala went to bed she checked up on him. He was sleeping quietly and seemed be doing fine. She soon left him to rest and left for her own room.

Later that night Janus woke up. He was feeling very sick and his fever was very high. He knew that he was in trouble and had to get Schala. He got out of bed and Alfador followed. He was not strong enough to reach her room though. He collapsed to the ground with a thump. Alfador ran over to Janus. He could sense that something was wrong. He ran as fast as he could to Schala's room and jumped up on her bed.

"Meow, meow!!!" cried Alfador as he tried to wake Schala up. Alfador soon succeeded and Schala was up.

"Alfador, why aren't you with Janus? Is he in trouble?" questioned Schala.

Alfador meowed once more and then ran off to Janus's room next door to Schala's. Schala followed right behind him. When they reached Janus's room they found Janus lying lifelessly on the floor. She gasped and ran over to his side.

"Janus! JANUS!!" shouted Schala.

Janus gave no response.

As Schala held her brother she noticed that he was burning up! He was sweating and his usually pale skin was even paler. His breathing was labored and he was obviously in pain. She did not want to leave his side, but had no other choice Janus needed help now.

"Hold on, I'm going to get help," reassured Schala before she dashed out of Janus's room

* * *

Dawn soon came to Zeal. A medic was examining Janus as Schala nervously watched. The medic did not seem pleased with the results of her examine. She soon finished her tests and seemed to be troubled with the results. She did not want to break the news to Schala.

"Excuse me Princess Schala, this is never easy, but I'm afraid that Prince Janus..." stuttered the medic.

"What's wrong with Janus?!" demanded Schala.

"The problem is I can't tell. All I know is that this is very similar to what killed his father. I think it might have the same effect on him," replied the medic.

"You think that he's going to die?! shouted Schala before she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry that there is nothing that I can do, Princess Schala, but perhaps I'm wrong and he will survive. I think that I will go now. There is nothing else I can do," remarked the medic as she quickly left.

Now Schala was alone with Janus. She knelt at his bedside and put her hand on his head. Once again she started to cry. "Please don't die, Janus," begged Schala, "I'm going to Melchior, maybe he can help you."

Schala ran as fast as she could to Melchior's quarter's in Kajar. Kajar was a city on the west side of Zeal. Melchior was also known as the Guru of Life. He and Schala both felt that the Earthbound ones were as good as the Enlightened ones and should be treated as equals. Some people felt that had influenced her feelings on this matter when she was a child. That was probably true, but if he had not influenced her the rest of the society would have. In the end she chose the way she felt. She trusted him and respected his knowledge. She felt that he would know what to do. When she arrived in Kajar she was very much out of breath.

"Melchior! Melchior!" gasped Schala.

"What seems to be the problem, Schala?" asked Melchior.

Schala hesitated momentarily as she tried to catch her breath. "Janus. He's very, very sick. He has an extremely high fever and he is having trouble breathing. The medics can't help him. They don't even know what is wrong with him," explained Schala.

"I think I know what is wrong with him, but I can't help him," informed Melchior.

"So I just have to watch him die?" shouted Schala

"Of course not!" exclaimed Melchior, "I might not know how to help Janus but, I do know of someone who does,"

"Tell me quickly, please!" plead Schala.

"As you wish. On an island to the southwest of the Earthbound village their lives a man who is known only as the Apothecary. He is the only one with the knowledge that can save your brother's life," informed Melchior.

"Thank you so very much!" cried Schala. As Schala left Kajar someone came looking for her. It was one of the servant ladies from the palace.

"Excuse me for bothering you, Princess Schala, but I have some urgent news for you," explained the servant lady.

"What is it about?" questioned Schala.

"I hate to have to tell you this," began the servant lady, "but Prince Janus's has taken a turn for the worse. His fever has risen to an incredibly high level and the medics fear that he will soon die."

"I must go see him!" shouted Schala as she raced towards Zeal Palace.

Schala ran as fast as she could. She had to reach Zeal Palace quickly to see Janus as this might be her last time. It took her an hour running at top speed to reach the palace. She ran up several flights of stairs to Janus's room. By the time she reached his door she was exhausted, but she did not rest. When she entered his room she found him surrounded by medics. As she approached Janus the medics dispersed. As she knelt by his bedside one of the medics approached her.

"I sorry but their is nothing more we can do for him. His fever will soon exceeded 110 degrees and no matter what we do nothing seems to break it. I hate to say this, but he won't last much longer." informed the medic.

"No!" exclaimed Schala, "I won't let him die!" Schala then turned to Janus. "Please, Janus, just try to hold on a little longer for me. If you fight it a little longer I promise to come back with a cure!" promised Schala. She then turned to Alfador who was lying by Janus, "Please watch over him Alfador, and give him strength," begged Schala.

As Schala finished she began to get to her feet. She then proceeded to leave the room. That day she planned to leave the Kingdom of Zeal of the frozen land below. She would find the Apothecary and get the medicine Janus so desperately needs and only he could supply. The medics all watched her leave. They thought of how determined she seemed in this hopeless situation. They knew that she would not come back empty handed.

Schala raced for the gate that would take her outside of Zeal Palace. She knew that Janus had only a little time left before he would succumb to this illness. She told no one where she was going . If they knew that she was going to an Earthbound one for help they would have stopped her. Time was a critical factor now, so even though she was tired she ran as fast as she could. She took the teleporters to the bottom of the mountain, it was a lot quicker than walking. Still running as top speed she crossed a bridge. She did not stop for a second and soon reached the landway, a teleportation device that took an individual from Zeal to the frozen land below. As she ran some one watched her from afar. This person was joined by two bounty hunters who worked for him.

"Is that the girl you want us to follow?" asked one of the bounty hunters.

"Yes, she is the one," answered the man, "You must stop her from getting this medicine that will save the little brat's miserable life. If one of the those royal brats die it will be one less obstacle to contend with."

"Yeah, then only the girl'll be stoppin' ya from bein' king," commented the other bounty hunter, "Just don't forget our deal, money now and power later."

"Don't worry I won't forget. Now go quickly before she's out of sight!" demanded the man. The bounty hunters obeyed and ran after Schala. They would be in for wealth and power if they succeeded.

Schala soon found herself in the middle of a terrible storm. The wind was howling and snow and ice came down like fine pointed needles shot from a gun. She now wished she had thought about bringing a coat along but it was too late now. She pulled her pale purple cape over her face to ward off the snow. It was hard traveling but she refused to give up. She traveled onward and for her efforts she soon reached a skyway. A skyway was like a landway only it took the individual who used it to Zeal instead of the frozen lands. The skyway brought her to the city of Enhansa. She did not stop there even though she needed a coat. The people who lived their were usually out of it so their was no point in wasting time there. It was a short trip to the next landway.

The weather had not changed much. It was still snowing but not as hard as it had been before. This was good because Schala had hoped to borrow a boat from the Earthbound Village. She kept running and soon reached the Earthbound Village. She was ready to faint when she entered it.

An old man met her at the entrance to the cave that led to their village. "Good afternoon Princess Schala," greeted the old man, "What brings you here in such terrible weather."

"I'm sorry but I don't have time to talk. Janus is very sick and I need to visit the Apothecary. May I please borrow a boat?" requested Schala.

"Go right ahead." answered the old man.

"Thank you so much!" shouted Schala as she ran to get a boat.

Schala took the first boat she found that was in good condition. Several earthbound ones helped her carry it to the edge of the land. She thanked them all and then quickly left the shore behind. They had told her exactly which way to go and she hoped to reach the Apothecary's island quickly. The sea was choppy from the savage storm and she was not an experienced sailor. Regardless of the odds she was determined to reach the Apothecary. On her trip across the sea she nearly capsized twice. If she had fallen in she surely would have drowned in the icy waters. The island was soon in sight and Schala started to paddle faster. She soon reached the island. She tied up her boat and ran to the Apothecary's house, which was in the center of the island. She stopped in frond of his door and knocked three times. A middle-aged man with wild gray hair answered. He was badly kept. You might say he looked like a quack. A few seconds passed and Schala decided to speak.

"Excuse me for interrupting you but, are you the Apothecary?" questioned Schala.

"Yes I am Miss Enlightened One. What, may I dare ask, brings a maolyn here?" probed the Apothecary.

"My brother, Janus, is very sick. He has an extremely high fever and is having trouble breathing. Everyone thinks that he is going to die. Melchior said that you might be able to help me," informed Schala.

"Did you say Melchior? Then you must be Schala. I've heard a lot about you," remarked the Apothecary. "Yes I believe I know what's wrong with your brother. I can treat it, in fact I have one last bottle of the serum here."

The Apothecary soon left for his hall of medicines. Schala followed him through winding corridors. About ten minutes later he stopped at a wall filled with herbs, serums and other types of medicines. He then started searching for the serum that Schala had asked for.

"The illness that your brother has is very common down here. It is, however, strange that your brother got it. I've always thought that maolyns were immune against it," commented the Apothecary. "Ah! Here it is. Janus is a very lucky boy for this is my last bottle."

The Apothecary handed Schala a small flask that contained a clear purple liquid. Schala clenched the flask tightly in her hands. She had succeeded. She could now save Janus.

"Thank you so very, very much from the bottom of my heart!" cried Schala, "I think that Janus caught this one day when he was wandering around. He goes for long walks that take him all over the place when he has something on his mind. I also think that this is what killed his father. We both had different fathers."

"You should go now and hurry!" suggested the Apothecary.

"Thank you again," praised Schala.

Schala moved quickly through the corridors and soon reached the door. She had only taken a few steps outside when she was jumped by the bounty hunters. She didn't know who they could be. She stepped back.

"Who are you and what do you want?" inquired Schala.

"We're after that stuff and that's all you need to know!" hollered one of the bounty hunters.

"Yeah, so hand it over sweetheart!" demanded the other.

"Never!" shouted Schala, "Janus needs this and I will never give it to you!"

"Grab her!" ordered the first one. The other one grabbed Schala by the arms and then pinned her down. The first one pried the flask out of her hand. He then knelt down a few feet from her face. The other pushed her face into the icy snow. The first then proceeded to smash the flask right in front of her. She watched in horror as the precious serum trickled to the ground. She started to cry.

"You will pay for that!" insisted Schala. "Ice two!"

Large chunks of ice began to fall from the sky. The bounty hunters scattered as they ran from the falling ice. Schala got up a little bit. She was kneeling on the ground and crying at the sight of the shattered flask. If she hadn't been so upset she might have noticed that it had snowing for the first time in all of recorded history. The Apothecary soon came running out.

"I heard shouting. What's wrong Schala?" asked the Apothecary. "

Two men came ... they smashed the vial. Now the serum's gone and ... Janus ... will die," sobbed Schala.

"Stop crying and don't move," demanded the Apothecary.

Schala stopped crying and looked around. By her right foot were a few small purple flower's. She starred at them until the Apothecary came out. He cut them at the base of their stems and carefully placed them in a bag.

"You can get up now," informed the Apothecary.

Schala got to her feet and dusted herself off.

"Are those flowers important?" questioned Schala.

"They are the key ingredient in the serum that was just destroyed. All I need to do is add them to some of my half made serums and they will be complete. It won't take long. Then you can get back to your brother," explained the Apothecary.

"Oh thank you!" exclaimed Schala

* * *

Schala ran through Zeal Palace. She paused for a minute at Janus's door to catch her breath. She silently entered his room. She sat down on a chair that was positioned next to Janus's bed. She then produced a small flask from a brown pouch. She pulled the cork out of the flask.

"Janus," whispered Schala, "I have come back and I have some medicine for you. Thank you for holding on." Schala raised Janus at the shoulders slightly off his bed. She then poured the serum down his throat. He coughed a little and then was silent. She gently laid him back in his bed. She then headed for the door.

"Janus needs his rest. He will be all right now and I want you all to leave," ordered Schala.

The medics filed out of Janus's room. As they left one of them approached Schala.

"Princess Schala today when you where out Prince Janus had a visitor," commented a medic.

"Who was it?" questioned Schala.

"Queen Zeal," informed the medic." She stayed here with him for few hours when you were gone. I was a little surprised at first myself but, he is her son so it makes perfect sense that she might come to see him."

The last medic left and Schala stood alone. It was hard to believe that Queen Zeal had come. She was usually so busy ruling Zeal that they never saw her. It was nice that she had found the time to stop by when Janus was so sick. Schala wished that she had gotten to see her mother too because it might take another near tragedy to bring her back.

* * *

"Schala!" shouted Janus as he beat on his door." Come on Schala let me out I feel fine!"

"I'm sorry, Janus, but I think you should rest for a little while longer. Why don't you go to sleep," insisted Schala.

"Come on! Please! Schala! COME ON!!!" whined Janus.

"He seems to be doing a lot better," commented Galea. "How are you feeling Schala?"

When Schala had come back from her quest she was exhausted. Her face was also scratched up from being rubbed in the ground. She was now resting in her room. "

I feeling much better, thank you. I'm so glad that he is going to be all right. For a while it looked real bleak.," responded Schala.

"You know I think things are going to go right from now on," remarked Galea.