Aqua trudged through the Forbidden Forest and towards Sinergy's lair, furious that Firestar, her best friend, refused to help her rescue BlackHawk. Her footfalls made lots of noise as she stopped out her frustration.
After another ten minutes of nonstop walking and jogging, the Lamada Castle began to make an appearance on the horizon. Aqua remembered her last encounter at the castle when she met BlackHawk for the first time. He had been a great friend and had helped her many times; it was now her turn to help him. There was just one problem with the rescue which she did not think about until just now; Aqua had no idea where anything in the castle was.
Aqua approached the gate and noticed there was double, almost triple, the amount of guards than the last time she was there. Knowing there was no way she could fight six armed guards, Aqua decided to look for another way in because if there is one entrance there is always another. Aqua walked to the back of the kingdom's walls and noticed it was covered in vines and plants. She approached the vines thinking they were probably part of a garden, but the years of neglect had created a jungle behind the castle.
Aqua grabbed ahold of one of the vines and tugged. Seeing that it was pretty sturdy, she began to scale the wall with ease. As she neared the top, Aqua carefully peered over the top to see if there were any guards positioned in the once-was-a-garden, but there was none. Being about thirty feet above ground, Aqua was not about to jump, so she climbed down on the opposite side.
The old garden was disgusting. It was covered with plants of all sorts, some alive, but most dead. The worst part though was trying to get through it all. Thorns cut Aqua's legs, arms, and sides as she trudged onward. No wonder there are no guards out here, they probably would not think anyone would be crazy enough to go through this jungle. Good thing she was.
Finally, at the covered door that led to the inside of the castle, Aqua pulled out a dagger with a sharp blade from her pocket and began to separate the plants from the door. It was a hard task, but the door eventually opened and in crept Aqua.
Seeing the inside of a castle was still a little new to Aqua especially since she had only been in it one other time. Knowing that the library was to Aqua's left, she opted to go right. Since most of the guards were protecting the kingdom and castle's entrance, navigating the hallways was easy.
The first door Aqua saw was large and made of mahogany. She tried the brass handle, but it was locked tight. Moving on, the next door looked a little nicer and it opened with the slightest tug of the handle. Aqua closed the door quickly when she saw several guards sleeping on very old cots. Surely a king with such expensive taste could have afforded to buy new or at least better beds, but it just proved that he was a very selfish man who cared about his personal greed. Seeing that there was only one last door, Aqua opened the door quickly and rushed inside as she heard guards approaching.
Once inside Aqua was met with a very angry guard. Before the guard had even a moment to react, Aqua grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it over his head. Conscious, but a little groggy, the guard tried to stand up only to be met with a kick to the head. He slumped to the floor, out like a light. Noticing the large locked door, Aqua searched for a key on the guard's body and found it on his belt. She unlocked the door and was met with stairs that led underground, knowing this had to be the entrance to the dungeon; Aqua pressed on determined to rescue BlackHawk before it was too late
The dark dungeon smelled of dead rats and human body odor which was both a good and bad sign. Torches were the only source of light in the pit of darkness and threw shadows in every direction.
Aqua passed the first few cells that had either very few people in them or did not have any of them at all. It was not until Aqua was in a separate room all together with a single cell taking up most of the space, that she saw BlackHawk.
BlackHawk looked like he had been beaten to a pulp from the large gash on his forehead and his bloodstained black clothing that was usually spotless. As Aqua drew closer she could see that BlackHawk's hands were chained above his head to the stone wall and his ankles were chained together to the floor, making sure he did not escape. It was a sad sight to see one of the toughest men Aqua knew to look so broken and defeated.
Once Aqua was only a few steps away from the cell, BlackHawk opened his eyes and asked, "Who's there?" BlackHawk's right eye was swollen and his other one was black, so it was obvious he could not make out Aqua when she stood in front of his cell. "BlackHawk, it's me Aqua," she said in a whisper. "What have they done to you?" BlackHawk tried to smile at Aqua, but it came across more like a grimace than a smile. "They've done to me what they do to everyone who is a traitor to King Sinergy."
"I'm so sorry that this has happened to you BlackHawk. Lets get you out of here," said Aqua as she pulled out a pair of keys from her pocket that she had 'borrowed' from the guard she had knocked out on the way in. It took her several tries to unlock the jail cell's door, but it finally opened. Next was unlocking the cuffs that bound BlackHawk's arm and legs. It only took Aqua two tries to unlock the metal cuffs and she made sure to be very quiet about it. "Thanks for coming to save me," said a weak BlackHawk as he rubbed his sore wrists. "I never leave someone I care about behind," Aqua replied as she pocketed the keys once more. "Now, let's get out of here."
Aqua headed out of the jail cell and started to head back the way she came, but when she turned around BlackHawk was just getting out of the cell and his legs were shaking uncontrollably as if they were made of Jell-O. Seeing this, Aqua ran to his side. She took his left side and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Lean on me, it will make it easier to walk." Usually BlackHawk would argue, but even he knew he needed help at this point.
Guided by torchlight and a very wounded BlackHawk, the duo navigated the labyrinth of tunnels underground before they finally made it to the stairs that led to above ground. As they started to head toward the stairs, BlackHawk stopped them, "Don't go up these stairs, they will most likely have someone watching it. Take the ones behind the door around the next corner." Aqua trusted his judgment, so she did not argue and half walked half carried BlackHawk around the corner. The wooden door on the left stood out a little bit because it was the only one in the hallway, but with no light and the door being tucked into a corner, it was hidden pretty well. Aqua opened the door with her free hand since the other one was helping keep BlackHawk standing.
They climbed the short set of stairs where a door stopped them at the top. Aqua went to open it, but it would not budge. She had to throw her shoulder into the door three times before it finally opened enough for them to squeeze through. Once Aqua was on the other side of the door with BlackHawk, she saw the item that had made the door hard to open was a large antique looking armoire which had been pushed up against the door they had just come through. Now that Aqua took a look around the room they entered, it was full of old furniture and paintings, some of them were family portraits. One, in particular, caught her eye. It was a painting of a beautiful queen and a handsome king, but the queen was wearing her tear-shaped necklace.
Without even realizing it, she began to stare at the painting as she mindlessly played with her necklace. BlackHawk saw Aqua had stopped and hobbled over to see what she was looking at. "They seem so happy," said Aqua knowing it was her parents. "They were, especially the day you came into their lives," BlackHawk replied trying to make her feel better.
"I wish I could remember them or at least have one minute with them."
"I know," BlackHawk said as he placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her and to steady himself. "Once we get out of here, I promise you Aqua, that we will take back this kingdom and you will be the rightful ruler the people of Lamada need." Aqua nodded her head in determination and tore herself away from the painting.
She put her arm once again around BlackHawk to stabilize him and proceeded to the door. Aqua waited for the sound of footsteps to fade before she peeked her head out of the door. Seeing that no one was coming, Aqua and BlackHawk left the forgotten room as quickly as possible.
They quietly walked or limped down the halls keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any guards. Aqua led them down the hallway and toward the old garden, where she had entered the castle. As they turned the corner, four guards were waiting by the garden door, bows and swords in hand.
Aqua and BlackHawk quickly turned around to see more guards running down the hallway towards them. Seeing no other option, Aqua opened the nearest door and hurried inside with BlackHawk, locking it behind them. Just when they thought they were safe, twenty or more guards had their swords and bows pointed at them, for they had just entered the throne room, Sinergy's domain.
The guards did not seem to faze Aqua so she pulled out her own weapon, a dagger, and prepared herself to fight. All though her small weapon was nothing compared to theirs, she was not going down without a fight.
A figure emerged from the shadows of the throne room, a man with a sinister smile on his face and hate in his eyes. Sinergy. The man who had taken control of Aqua's parents' kingdom, wiped out a hundred other kingdoms, and a totalitarian dictator who tortured his people. This man was easily a person you could hate.
Sinergy approached Aqua and BlackHawk, his guards parting like the Red Sea so he could reach them. "Well... well... well... we have seemed to capture the rebel BlackHawk has been working with," Sinergy said with a sneer. Then he inclined his head at BlackHawk where the soldiers grabbed him as he moaned in protest and threw him to the floor, leaving Aqua alone. Too weak to get back up to protect Aqua, the ground is where he stayed. "We knew you'd try to save him, so we laid a trap for you," he said getting closer to look at Aqua. "It was only a matter of time before-" Sinergy stopped talking when his eyes landed on Aqua's necklace. "Could it be? After all these years... What is your name?" Aqua said nothing looking for an escape. "What is your name?!" He yelled. Aqua jumped, a little startled, but she saw there was a table in the room with a pitcher of water on it. Perfect.
Aqua moved her hand and the water began to boil, then it moved toward her. The guards turned around to see the boiling water coming straight for them. They tried to run but the water burned their faces and they fell to the floor screaming in pain.
"I knew it. You're Aqua, the daughter of King Richard and Queen Lucille," said Sinergy in disbelief. The door behind Aqua opened without a sound and several guards came through it creeping quietly towards Aqua and BlackHawk from behind without their knowledge. Trying to stall for his guards to be in position, Sinergy continued to talk. "Why are you here? To die just like your parents?" Aqua gritted her teeth in response and started to move her hand. Sinergy nodded his head and his guards reacted by shooting Aqua in the leg. Then the guards grabbed Aqua's wrists and tied them together, but this caused the water Aqua was controlling to land on BlackHawk who was lying on the floor barely able to move from the torture he had previously endured, but once the water landed on him, his wounds began to instantly heal and repair.
Still struggling with the guards, Aqua was shot again in her shoulder. She screamed in pain as the arrow buried itself inside of her right shoulder. "I accept your surrender," Sinergy snarled, but behind him, BlackHawk had picked himself up and bolted for the door. The guards took aim, but Sinergy stopped them," Let him go so he can tell everyone that the girl that could save them all was captured by King Sinergy." And with that Sinergy laughed for no one stood in his way now.