The travel back to dreamland felt long and agonizing. The only thing Bean was thinking about was Koga, seeing her father, and the wedding she knew she would be forced into. Bean felt sick. Everything she had hoped to have, like her freedom, seeing the world, and travelling with her friends, had all been taken away within hours. Elfo had tried to comfort Bean through the journey, but nothing would cheer her up. At some point in time, through the travels, she thought Koga would pop out and save her. She pictured him appearing across from them and charging at these gang of amour-wearing goons, then taking them out with ease. But that was not going to happen. Koga was long gone. Bean felt so responsible for what happened to him. Elfo kept saying that she shouldn't blame herself. But Bean couldn't help but do just that. Bean would lift her head after what seemed like forever and see her castle, her home Dreamland far ahead of her. Bean would scoff and say, "Well...home sweet home..." She said in a shallow tone.
Inside the castle, a tanned-skinned man named Harold with neatly kept black hair would walk through the double doors to the throne room. Sitting at the front of the throne room in the main chair was King Zog. His bright orange hair was the first anyone would see when they walked in. That and his bright green robe, round body, and golden crown. Standing on the right of Zog was his royal advisor Odval. He stood 6'2, wearing a navy blue hat on his head and a navy blue robe. Sitting on his left was the queen of Dreamland, Oona. She had black hair, bright blue skin, and a slim figure. Harold would take a deep breath and loudly say, "NOW ARRIVING BACK TO DREAMLAND! THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF PRINCESS TIABEANIE!"
The trio and the silver armoured goons would walk into the throne. King Zog would get up from his throne and walk to his daughter. Bean had pictured how her father would look. His face was twisted and wrinkled, with his red hair would make him look even worse.
"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME YOU GOT BROUGHT BACK HERE!" Zog shouts from the top of his lungs.
Bean would sigh. "HI, Daddy...I'm home..." She said in a defeated tone.
"Well, firstly," Zog said in a much calmer tone. "Welcome back, sweetheart! I was so worried about you!" He wraps his arms around Bean, bringing her into a tight hug. Bean wouldn't return this hug at all. One of the reasons was that her wrist was tied together. The other was because she didn't want to hug her father. Zog would break away from the hug and say, "Secondly, WHAT IN GOD'S NAME WERE YOU THINKING? RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME TO WHO KNOWS WHERE AND ABANDONING YOUR PRINCESS DUTIES?"
"Oh, Zoggy, please calm down," said Oona. Her accent was thick, and her tone sounded dreamy. "When I was getting married, I had butterflies in my stomach. I shouldn't have eaten so many." a fly buzzed by with her long tongue.
"Thirdly," Zog places his angry gaze upon the silver-armoured goons. "Which one of you low-life punks is named Koga!"
Nicholas would step forward. "King Zog, my name is Nicholas. I am the leader of my team, and we are the ones that retrieved Princess Tiabeanie from the man named Koga. He had kidnapped your daughter for himself!" He explained.
"He didn't kidnap me. Shut the hell up!" Bean said, glaring at Nicholas. "I should grab a sword and slice your head off!"
"Damn, you were quiet all the way here. Where did all this energy come from?" said Agatha, smirking at Bean.
Zog turns around and glares at Odval. "So what was that about hiring the best of the best?"
Odval gulps and begins to sweat. "Well, sire I-uh-I had heard so much about him from so many people I thought he would be the best pick to bring back Princess Tiabeanie," He stuttered.
"And where is this Koga guy now?" Zog asked as he turned back to Nicholas.
"Dead," Nicholas replied. "He wasn't the best at all, to be honest. I made quick work of him."
"Yeah, while he was wounded!" said Elfo glaring up at Nicholas. "If he weren't wounded, you'd be speaking with Satan now!"
Zog stared down at Elfo. "OH! You not only killed that kidnapper, but you brought the elf too!"
"Oh, forget the elf! I am the one and only Luci!" said Luci stepping forward, but Zog glared down at him and shouted."NO ONE CARES WHAT A CAT HAS TO SAY!" Zog would kick Luci sending him hurtling into one of the white stone pillars. "OW!" said Luci. "I AM NOT CAT-Oh, whatever...I'm going to lie down next to a window or something..." He then walked off.
"All that I care about here is this sweet little Elf!" Zog smiled down at Elfo. "LOCK HIM IN A CAGE!"
As soon as that was said, Zog's knight's stepped forward and placed Elfo in a small cage. "WHAT THE HELL, DAD? DON'T CAGE UP MY FRIEND!" She yelled at her father. Zog would glare at Bean, "I'm a king! I can do whatever I want! And now that you're back, honey, we can get back on track with the wedding!"
Bean's heart dropped at that statement. She had almost forgotten...the marriage with the Prince Merkimer of Bentwood.
"As for you, silver, whatever the hell your names are," Zog looked back at Nicholas. "You'll be greatly rewarded for returning my daughter! Although right now our funds a-" Nicholas would then cut him off.
"No need! We're not here for gold!" said Nicholas, holding his hand. "We want something else."
Zog looked at the armoured man in surprise. "Oh? And what exactly do you want?"
"You see, your majesty, we're tired of going from town to town and taking odd jobs. What we want is to become knights of dreamland!"
"Knight's, eh? So be it!" said Zog. "Alright, now that that is all done, let's get this wedding back on track!"
Once that was done, Bean and Elfo were escorted out of the throne room. Zog had pulled Odval aside and whispered to him. "Make sure to let the boy know his sister is home..." Odval nodded. "Right, I'll inform Prince Derek Sire," He replied, but Zog stopped him. "Not Derek Odval," Odval comes to a quick realization. "Ah, right. Will do, sire," Odval nods, and he leaves off.
Bean had taken her first bath since she was gone from dreamland. It was nice despite the horrible feeling she felt. Bunty, the castle maid, was helping her as she washed her back. "Oh, Beanie dear, you don't know how good it is to see you!" She said happily as she scrubbed her back with the scrubbing brush.
"It's good to see you too, bunty..." said Bean half-heartedly.
Once she is was, Bean gets out of the tub with a towel wrapped around her body and heads to her room, where Elfo and Luci are. Elfo was hung up on a rack while he sat in the cage, and Luci sat on the edge of her bed. Elfo looked at Bean with a smile as she was about to take off her towel. Luci grinned, looked at Elfo, and said, "Hey Elfo...WHATCHA LOOKING AT?"
Bean pauses and looks over at Elfo. Elfo gulps nervously as Bean approaches him. "I was just admiring the towel! Y-You know it's a very nice towel!"
"Uh-huh..." Bean said as she turned the cage around so Elfo wasn't facing her. She then walks over to her wardrobe and begins to change. Bean places on her fresh pair of clothes. Once fully clothed, Bean heard a knock on her door, and a soft male voice spoke.
"Welcome home, sister..."
Bean turned around. Standing at the door was a man wearing an all-green royal attire. His hair was pure white, just like Bean, except it was sorter and well kept. This boy looked almost identical to Bean. He had freckles around his face and bright blue eyes. He also didn't sport the buck teeth and weak chin like Bean has. "I didn't expect to see you again," said Tavish, Bean's older twin brother, as he leaned against the door frame.
"Whoa, I'm seeing double..." said Luci staring at Tavish.
"What's going on? Who is that?" Elfo asked eagerly.
Bean wore an expression of disinterest as she turned her attention away from Tavish to place on her boots. "I didn't think about coming home. Did you miss your precious baby sister?" She asked sarcastically
"Of course I did," Tavish said as he stepped into Bean's room without her knowing. "I was worried about you being out there on your own. You can barely care for yourself, let alone survive in the outside world."
"Wow, I've been back for like twenty minutes, and you're already being a passive-aggressive dick," said Bean annoyed. "What a warm welcome."
"My goodness, it seems as though Bunty didn't bother touching up your room when you were gone," Tavish said, seeing all of the shirts and pants that were laid around on the floor and bed.
Bean formed an angry expression on her face. "Well, why don't you leave me alone and go to your damn room!" Bean snapped as she turned around to where Tavish was originally standing and saw that he wasn't there. Bean looks around and sees Tavish standing over where Elfo is hanging in his cage. "HEY! I didn't say you can come into my room!" She sprung to her feet.
Tavish turned Elfo around, and the two came face to face. "So this is the Elf that father won't shut up about," He said as he examined Eflo. Elfo would smile and say, "HI! I'm Elfo!" Tavish would reply sternly, "I don't remember asking your name."
"And I don't remember telling you that you could step into my room!" said Bean, turning around and glaring at him.
Tavish scoffs, "What? You don't want to talk to your brother after being gone?"
"No, I'm sober," Bean replied as she crossed her arms. "I would need to be drunk to hold a conversation with you" Bean then thought about it. "Even when drunk, I still don't want to deal with you."
"Of course, the first thing you want to bring up is drinking," Tavish said bitterly as he stared into her sister's familiar blue eyes. "From what I can see that's the only thing you're good at is being a no-good drunk,"
"And the only thing you're good at is being a selfish ass-kissing bastard who, every time I do see you got brown on your nose,"
The two of them were silent for a moment. Elfo and Luci were quietly watching them as they looked back and forth between the two. Tavish takes a deep breath and exhales softly from his nostrils. He turns away from Bean and heads to the door. "I wasn't lying, sister. I was truly worried about you."
"Just get out already..." said Bean turning away from her brother. "And stop acting like you care about me."
Tavish sighed, and he exited the room.
Bean walked over to the door and closed it. She sighed deeply, walked over to her couch, and sat down. She buried her face in her hands and let out a loud groan.
"Well..." Luci said, hopping onto the couch. "That was entertaining."
"Who was that, and why did he look just like you?" Elfo asked curiously. Bean would get up from the couch and pace around the room. "That was my stupid brother Tavish!" said Bean as she got up from where she was sitting and walked around the room.
Elfo looked at Bean, confused. "Wait, I thought that little blue kid Derek was your brother."
"No, Tavish is my blood brother. He's my twin, unfortunately." She said as she sat back down on the couch. "He thinks he's so damn smart because he reads and studies all the time while he locks himself in his room for days, and hardly ANYONE ever sees him!" Bean vents. "And once he does leave, he's always buttering up himself to a bunch of snotty noble people to make himself look good because he wants to be King of Dreamland."
"So you have daddy issues and brother issues. You have the best family in the world!" said Luci
"I sure do..." Bean agreed bleakly. She lets out another groan. "UGH! AND I'M GETTING MARRIED TO THAT STUPID MERKIMER GUY! I can't marry that guy! I just can't! I gotta...Kill him or something..."
"DO IT! DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!" Luci egged on.
"Bean, no! That's way too much!" said Elfo. "You know you're not a murderer!"
"Oh, can it, Elfo! What other choice does Bean have?" Luci said, glaring at Elfo.
"Oh my god," said Bean brushing her back. "I need to think of something. Some way I can get out of this...but what?"
Outside the hallways, Tavish was leaning against the wall rubbing his head. Tavish was groaning tiredly after his minor spat with Bean. "She's never going to change...never..." He whispered to himself as he slid his back down the stone wall and sat down. Tavish could hear footsteps coming down the hallways. He ignored it, thinking it was either Odval or Bunty. But to his disappointment, it was neither.
"TAVISH, MY BOY! Why are you sitting on the ground for?"
Tavish's heart sunk, and his gut wrenched. He recognized that voice all too well. Tavish looks up, and he sees Merkimer standing over him. His brown hair, long nose, and round stomach. "Him..." Tavish said in his head. "This damn son of a-" Tavish would get to his feet. "Oh, Prince Merkimer! How do you do?" He said cheerfully. He bottled his emotions and forced a welcoming smile.
"I'm doing well, thank you! I was trying to reach you for a long time while I was staying in dreamland. But you are a hard person to contact!" said Merkimer.
"That's because I didn't want to talk to you or see you-you piece of-" Tavish would say internally. But on the outside, he would say, "Oh, my apologies Prince Merkimer I-I tend to stay in my room and study. It helps me clear my mind," He brushed his white hair aside.
"Ah, yes! You are the very smart man that you are! Dreamland will be in good hands once you're on the throne!"
"Oh, thank you so much, Prince Merkimer! You flatter me!" Tavish said with a blush.
"It'll be wonderful! Two future Kings of their kingdoms with great power! And, of course, Princess Tiabeanie at my side!"
Tavish left eye twitched. A vein pops on his head, as Merkimer mentioned Bean. "Oh...yes...Of course...." He said slowly.
"Speaking of which, I heard she's returned! Would you mind taking me to her!" Merkimer asked in a cheerful tone.
"I'm sorry, Merkimer. My sister is exhausted..." Tavish's tone had deepened a bit. "You're not going anywhere near her...you fat basta-" But on the outside. "Please let her rest, my friend..."
"Ah, of course!" Merkimer nods. "Instead, let us spend some time together! Join me for a chat between two best friends and a drink!"
"Oh, no...No...no..." Tavish said on the inside. But on the out, "Of course Merkimer! But you know I don't drink!" He said with a nervous chuckle. "I hate alcohol, you stupid bastard. I've brought this up so many times before. DO YOU NOT LISTEN?"
"Hahaha, of course, I forgot with your slim deminer, you probably couldn't handle a man's drink!"
"Haha..." said Tavish. "Shut the fuck up." He said internally.
And so Tavish and Merkimer would head to the dining room, where the two would sit at the table. The waitress poured Merkimer his drink and Tavish his cup of water. Through the first thirty minutes, Merkimer was talking about himself. Tavish could've heard him tell the same story about slaying some creature. Tavish wasn't paying attention to have of it. But he did, however, hear what Merkimer said about Bean. "You know, Tavish. Tiabeanie is one feisty woman. I've had time to think about it over the week, and I believe she is the right woman for me. After she killed my brother, I immediately fell in love with her! The way she talks and goes about her life. She's a woman I know would give me a good time in bed! Oh, I could imagine her skills in pleasing men-" Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering was heard. Merkimer looked over at Tavish's glass cup. It was in pieces on the table. Some of the pieces were stuck in the palm of Tavish's hand, and some blood was trickling onto the table. Tavish gave Merkimer a cold dead stare that would send chills down anyone's spine. But of course, Merkimer didn't notice this.
"Oh dear, Tavish, your hand!" Merkimer said worriedly.
"It's fine..." said Tavish. His tone was full of anger. But he was so good at hiding how he felt you couldn't hear it from his voice. "Blood is nothing to me."
"Oh, but we must get this cleaned up! You don't want glass stuck in your ski-"
"I don't care about that," Tavish said as he knocked the shards of glass off his hand. Once he did that...the blood was gone, and there was no cut. This had confused Merkimer for a moment. Wasn't there a cut? He thought. "Merkimer, I have an idea. Why don't I host you a bachelor party?"
"Oh?" Herkimer's interest peaked. He had forgotten about the disappearing cut already.
"Yes. it can be out on sea..." Tavish said, smiling at Merkimer. "Allow me to do all the planning..."
"Excellent idea Tavish! Oh, but what about Tiabeanie? Do you think she would be ok with something like that?" Merkimer asked.
"Don't worry about my sister. I'll talk to her about it," said Tavish
"Well, in that case! I'm all aboard the idea, my dear friend!" said Merkimer happily.
"Good," said Tavish as he grabbed a new glass and poured the water into it. "To friendship..." he holds up his glass.
"To friendship!" said Merkimer happily as he held up his.
The two of them would drink. All that was going on in Tavish's head wasn't about the "Friendship" Merkimer thought he had with Tavish. Oh no...It was something much darker.