After traveling north for about 8 miles, our heroes decided to camp for the night.
After setting up the cabin, Edgar used his dagger to make kindling in order to start a campfire.
Once the campfire was lit, everyone gathered around the warm fire. "So where are we going your highness?" asked Cayleb.
"According to the map," said Edgar, "Lake Waral is about another 15 miles from here. The water has not being tested yet."
"15 miles?" Cried Marie, "Why couldn't we bring transportation? Walking is hard on the thighs!"
"You'll get used to it princess," said William, "Edgar and I train hard every day. Walking is pretty easy."
"I'm a princess!! I shouldn't have to walk so much!!"
"Do you ever stop whining?" Edgar laughed.
Marie gave her brother a mean look.
Cayleb drank his stew. "Spoiled rotten."
"I AM NOT ROTTEN!!"
"Hey hey, come down your highness," said Cayleb, "I was just kidding. Take it easy."
Marie got up from the ground and walked towards the cabin. "Come on, I've got to do my skincare and hair before bed."
"How do you expect to be a good Cleric if you are worried about how you look so much?" Said Edgar.
"Water!" Cried Cayleb and a small burst of muddy water seemed to appear from out of his wave and the fire and put out.
"I'm supposed to look pretty," said Marie, "I'm a princess!"
"I wish she would stop saying that." William whispered to Cayleb.
"Me too." Cayleb whispered back.
Although William thought the Marie was very pretty, he never understood her habit of announcing that she was royalty to all the time. She trained to be a Cleric, why would being a princess make the job any easier?
Thunder roared in the distance.
"Come on boys." Said Prince Edgar, "Lets get inside before any of us get hit by lightning."
Inside the cabin, Princess Marie was brushing her hair very gently.
"Is that really needed?" Asked Edgar, "You are going to bed soon, aren't you?"
"Brushing before bedtime and then in the morning is important for my hair."
William was playing a few chords on his guitar while Cayleb climbed into his bed.
'This is my chance to become a real wizard!' Cayleb thought.
Cayleb accidentally killed his own parents with magic. Being born with magic abilities, he had to control his emotions so unpredictable things would not happen.
When Cayleb was 11, his parents told him that they were sending him away to a political school. Cayleb begged to let him stay but they refused. Cayleb was scared of leaving his home and angry that his parents wanted to send him away.
When Cayleb cried, he accidentally created an earthquake that destroyed his home and killed his parents.
Ever since then, Cayleb had be learning how to control his magic so he would not hurt anyone else by accident. Also being a wizard was more appealing than being a politician.
Cayleb thought of his parents often. 'Mother, Father; I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Please forgive me.'
"Come on," said Edgar, "Let's go to sleep. We've got a lot of traveling to do."
Finally Marie stopped brushing her hair and turned out the light before climbing into her own bed.
William set his guitar down inside of his shrinkage box next to his bed. It felt like hours before William finally fell asleep and dreamed of being a hero.
'Someday I will be strong. Someday I will be the best. Someday I will be a hero.'
In the morning, the golden rays of the sun had just begun to peek over the tops of the tall pine trees.
Cayleb was the first to awaken.
"Good morning Mother Earth." Said Cayleb as a breeze blow across the country side. No birds were singing because they were back at the ark, as far as he knew.
Cayleb walked over to a large machine that with in the kitchen and examined it.
"Hmm, how does this food processing thing work? I would love to have something to eat other than the beef stew right now."
Cayleb presses a few buttons on the machine. The machine beeped and a bowl of hot rice popped out of the machine with steam raising up.
William yawned.
Cayleb set his bowl of rice down of a table in the kitchen and began to eat.
'I would really love some ice water too. I hope we can find out what is caused the water to be so dirty and undrinkable.'
"Don't be long Cayleb," said Prince Edgar as he arose from his bed, "We still have a lot of traveling to do."
"Yes sir." Said Cayleb as he continued to eat his rice. "As long as we find out why this curse happened, who would do such a thing? Why would anyone want to ruin the water or the beautiful land?"
"Who knows," said Edgar, "Hopefully we will find out."
"But we are supposed to just find fresh water, aren't we?"
"Yes, but I have a feeling that whoever did this wants to have all of the fresh water for themselves."
"So I'll bet that when we find good water then we will find who did this?" Said William