Fifteen years later
Anne's POV
I never felt this good before. It feels like my life has been completed, but not just yet. There's one thing missing and that is me being a God Knight. Crazy, right? Who would've thought a hero like me hasn't become a God Knight. It's quite ridiculous In people's opinions. I don't blame them. I've been working for King Andrias for over five years now.
I started right when I turned eighteen. That guy didn't waste any time to send me a letter and asked if I am willing to be a knight and do missions for him. Obviously, I took the offer and began working right away. It started off with delivering messages to saving a town full of citizens from evil monsters. That's what led me to become a hero. Even my own home town was in danger when a few giant, green mantis tried to attack my neighbors.
Not a lot of people were fond of other knights no matter their status. Some would be greedy and use their rank to order people around, making them uncomfortable or scared. An example would be Sasha. Don't get me wrong, Sasha is my best friend, and I deeply care about her. But most of the time, she tends to be bossy when we help others. People prefer me to handle things rather than her. I do my best to tell her to be polite, but she doesn't listen.
Anywho, my powers have grown over the course of years. I started out small and worked my way to the top as much as I could. The Plantars helped me out gain full control and strength of my magic. They, too, have magic. Hop Pop doesn't use his as much now that he is seventy-seven. Polly and Sprig both had their powers at the age of nine. They even managed to get the same ability which is being able to jump high in the air and bounce around.
With the help of my siblings, I pretended to be the hero and tried to capture them as villains with a little bit of my magic. Progressively, I've gotten better and quicker. Sasha and I had duels together with and without magic which resulted in me being the winner. I won't lie, she is a tough opponent. I had some struggles when battling each other. Neither of us held back, that's for sure.
Currently, I'm here with my old man who's still pursuing his life as a farmer. He really does work hard to provide, and because of him, I wouldn't be here. When I started working for King Andrias, I saved up enough money to buy a new and nice looking stand for Hop Pop. Let's just say he almost had a heart attack. Besides that reaction, he was extremely happy.
"Dang HP. What is that smell?" I plugged my nose, so I couldn't breathe in the stench.
I was inside our home doing chores when I came outside to see how Hop Pop is handling the cropland. Then, the smell hit my nose right away.
"It's those dang stink bugs that are trying to eat whatever they can out of my yard," Hopediah huffed in frustration.
"And where's Polly and Sprig?" I wondered where those two were.
"They're busy fighting off the stink bug," he pointed behind himself with his thumb.
I looked over his shoulder to see Sprig and Polly riding on top of a ten foot insect that's trying to get rid of the two. I see them punching and kicking the stink bug. It was quite a show to watch until the bug fell on its back, landing on Polly and Sprig. I quickly reacted by activating my magic and moved towards the insect at full speed. As soon as I got close to the bug, I used my right leg to kick it as far as I could. It flew towards the sky and disappeared down into the forest.
"Hi Anne! Thanks for the help."
I glanced down to see Sprig and Polly smiling up at me as if a bug wasn't trying to get rid of them a few seconds ago. They were covered in dirt and debris on their clothing and faces. I couldn't help but chuckle at the two.
"Sup dudes! You guys having all the fun without me?" I sarcastically asked as I lifted them up to their feet.
"You know it. I kicked the stink bug in the eye. It was pretty funny," Polly smirked.
"I bet it was, but jeez. How could you guys handle the odor? Smells like rotten eggs and sewage."
"Polly and I held our breath for a while. We almost passed out. Luckily, you saved us in a matter of time for us to breathe again," Sprig clarified.
"And I'd do it again for you two," I slung an arm around my sibling's shoulders and pulled them close to me.
"D'aww. We would too, yet you can handle everything without trouble," Polly made a point.
"Right on, little sister," I unattached myself from Sprig and Polly.
As I did so, I heard footsteps behind us. I twisted my body to see my blonde friend wearing her fur cloak, skirt, boots, and leather armor. I wasn't surprised to see Sasha here as she comes by whenever she has time.
"Polly! Sprig! I need your help for a second," I heard the old man call out their name.
They both jogged over to Hop Pop while I was left standing. I didn't have to wait any longer because Sasha was right in front of me.
"Hey Sash. Nice seeing you here," I beamed and made my way to my friend to give her a hug.
"Hi Boonchuy. I see you were bonding with your little siblings," Sasha hugged back.
"I always do. You know how I am," I was the first to end our hugging session.
"Oh, I know."
"So... What brings you here? Not that I mind or anything," I held my hand up and waved it around to indicate that I really didn't want Sasha here.
I noticed that she turned a bit red when I asked her a question. She rubbed the back of her neck shyly and gazed down at the dirt.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk and chat? Just you and I," Sasha inquired while she swung her arms forward and clasped her hands together.
"Yeah, why not. Lead the way," I instructed her.
She nodded and began traveling down to Wartwood. I followed next to Sasha and allowed her to be the first one to start a conversation.
"Are you excited for what Andrias has in store for us?"
"Definitely! He is giving us a special mission. Do you think Andrias will make us God Knights if we complete it? I mean, he never sent out a message saying that there's a special job we need to do," I intertwined my hand and set it at the back of my head.
"That is true. Maybe it's special because that's how we will become God Knights. Andrias thinks we're ready," Sasha agreed with my thought.
"I think we are. Look how far we've come. We deserve it," I kept my hopes high.
"Right. Do you think things will change after we become God Knights?"
"I doubt there will be a lot of changes. We'll be left to handle way more dangerous tasks, and our title will change. That's about it," I shrugged.
"As long as we stick together, there's nothing we should worry about," Sasha playfully punched me on the arm.
"Heh, right. Sasha and Anne, the hero of Amphibia who will become the top percent of knights," I held my fist to Sasha.
She used her fist to bump into mine. We both smiled at each other while continuing walking down the pathway to Wartwood. I was ready for whatever King Andrias had to throw at me. Any challenge he'll give me, it will be a piece of cake. It will determine my fate, and that fate will become a reality.
Few days later
"Pst. Anne. Come on. We have to go," I felt someone shake me during my slumber.
"Hm?" I groaned with my eyes remaining closed.
"We're going to be late. King Andrias is waiting for us."
I opened my eyes right away, and I immediately jumped off the bed. Sasha was already prepared to leave and meet with the king. She had her pink armor and sword applied. I frantically gathered my belongings and got ready. I brushed my teeth, set my hair up in a ponytail, and put on my blue and gold armor. I attached my cape and scabbard with my sword inside onto myself. I did all of this in under seven minutes.
"Let's go. I'm eager to know what Andrias is going to have us do for today," Sasha put a hand on my back to push me out of the hotel room we were in.
Her and I rushed downstairs and out of the door belonging to the hotel. We made it outside and walked our way to the castle. It is owned by the king himself. There are a few people that live with the king. A few of his regular knights, his servants, and his royal advisor. I've met most of them before, and they're very different, personality wise.
"Man, those beds were comfy. Better than my own at home," I stretched my limbs out.
"Tell me about it. You know Andrias likes to spoil us with an expensive hotel like the one we stayed in," Sasha smirked.
"As much as I enjoy being in a hotel like that, I miss home. I miss my family," I felt myself getting home sick.
Sasha rolled her eyes and said, "Not this again. You have to toughen up and forget about them for a little bit."
"But don't you miss Grime when you're away for a mission?"
"Eh, sometimes. I'm just happy that he's not here to bicker and complain to me twenty-four seven," my friend sighed.
"Sounds rough," I quietly giggled to myself.
"Yup, but it's whatever. Can't do anything about it," Sasha expressed.
"I should pay him a visit. It's been a few months since I've seen him," I suggested.
"Go ahead. He's going to nag you about me. Just you wait," Sasha crossed her arms and shook her head side to side.
"I wonder what he has to say about you now," I wiggle my brows in a teasing way.
"Tch. Better not be anything embarrassing," Sasha blushed a bright red.
"We'll see about that," I grinned like a maniac.
"Oh no..."
This time, I chuckled out loud from my best friend's reaction. She nudged me on my side with her elbow to stop me from cracking up. I slowly calmed myself down to prevent Sasha from beating me up. As I relaxed, I noticed that we arrived sooner to Andrias' castle.
"Dang! Did we walk fast or what?" I questioned ourselves.
"I don't know, but we killed some time on our way here. Let's go in and see what the heck Andrias wants from us," Sasha walked past me to talk to the guards before they opened the huge doors for us.
We entered inside and stumbled upon Yunan and Olivia. It appeared that they were about to head out.
"Hey dudes! Are you guys leaving?" I placed my hands on my hips.
"Hello Anne, Sasha. We actually are heading out. I'm guessing you two are meeting up with King Andrias?" Lady Olivia was the first to answer my question.
"Correct. He sent a mail saying that he has a special mission for Sash and I. Today is the day we need to see him. What about you two? Where are you going?" I became curious.
"We cannot say. It's a secret," Yunan held a fake smile that threw me off.
"Okay then? Have fun with your secret mission," I played along.
"Thanks. See you both later," Olivia replied before her and her wife awkwardly walked outside.
"Well, they were acting weird," Sasha indicated.
"They were. Maybe Andrias sent them somewhere that they cannot tell anybody," I thought of a reason.
"Probably. Anywho, we should find him. It's most likely he's in his throne room," Sasha continued strolling ahead.
I trailed behind my partner while viewing the inside of the castle. I couldn't help but be amazed every time I'm here. I hardly had time to take an entire tour of Andrias' home. I think I would be lost if there wasn't anybody to guide me. I'm sure that tour will come once I am a God Knight.
"Here we are."
I exited out of my thoughts and saw two gigantic doors that led to the throne room. We opened it to reveal Andrias from across the room. He was sitting in his chair with his elbow resting on the arm rest and his hand holding his face as if he's bored. Andrias' face lightened up when he caught a glimpse of Sasha and I. We made it near the first step of the stairs that led to Andrias and bowed down.
"Good morning, Anne and Sasha! Boy, am I glad to see you," he boomed with giddiness as he stood up from his chair.
"Good morning, my lord. Hopefully we arrived right on time," I got up from the floor as well as Sasha.
"Yes you did. I've been waiting for this day to come, and now, it's finally here!" Andrias widely beamed.
"So what is this special mission about if you don't mind us knowing?" Sasha grew a little impatient but hid it.
"Dying to know, eh? I'll tell you. You two will become God Knights," the king announced.
"WHAT?!" Both Sasha and I blurted out in shock.
"Wait a minute. Let me finish. You two will become God Knights after you complete a task I will give you."
"Woah! You're not joking, right?" I wanted to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.
"Not at all, Anne. You see, I thought long and hard about this. I came to a conclusion that you, my friends, are ready to upgrade up a rank. With that, there comes a challenge before earning the spot of a God Knight," Andrias explained.
"That's amazing! We'll do whatever challenge you have for us," my heart was beating in excitement.
"I'm glad you don't have any hesitation, Boonchuy. You see, almost everyone has heard of this person. I know for a fact you two know who I am going to be talking about. The name is Marcy Regina Wu. She's the one who has the deadly curse that's passed down to anyone after the owner of the curse is dead. What I want for the both of you to do is kill her. She's been causing a lot of trouble. There's been a significant amount of deaths from animals to citizens from across all of Amphibia. I need her taken care of before this matter becomes worse. Her whereabouts are unknown as she does like to hide. The sooner you find and kill her, the quicker you two will get the title as a God Knight. You'll become even greater heroes than before. Do you understand the task that's been given to you? If so, are you willing to complete it?"
Rapidly, Sasha responded, "Yes! We won't let you down, King Andrias. Anne and I will handle that murderer with our own hands."
"Anne? What about you?"
This was something I've wanted all along. To be a God Knight. But, the mission felt wrong even though it's not. Everyone hates Marcy because of the curse she has. It's normal that people want her dead, right? Andrias, the King of Newtopia, is letting me find and kill her. So that's okay. I'm sure everyone wouldn't mind it. I'll reunite with Marcy for a quick moment before she even knows what I'm about to do to her. It's no big deal. Yeah, no big deal.
"I understand the task, and I am willing to get it done, your majesty," I straightened myself and eyed the king to show I'm ready for the mission.
"Good. I'll need proof when you slaughter her. In the meantime, go search for her. You two are dismissed," Andrias uttered before sitting back down on his chair.
"Thank you for the opportunity, King Andrias," I, along with Sasha, bowed once more.
The king didn't say anything else other than nodding to us. Sasha and I lifted our heads and turned away from the king. We walked down the aisle and made it out of the throne room. My stomach felt funny in a bad way. I wasn't too sure if it's because I need to eat or because I need to injure someone. Whichever it is, I need to get both done. My dream is about to come true, and the only way is to kill Marcy Wu. An old friend of mine.