Twilight and Shadow

✅

Twilight and Shadow, otherwise known as Malcur's Return, happened in 2010. It was the largest High Penguin war since the year 740. It took place mainly in Freezeland, Happyface State, Antarctic Peninsula and Eastshield, but smaller battles did take place in the other states. It started out as the Freezelandian Civil War, but ended up turning into a continental war.

Please note that this is a story of what happened in the war; not the actual full article for the war.

Prologue
The days passed slowly in the calm province of Snowbourne. Nothing much went on.

The door between the worlds of the Silmaril void, where Malcur and Opacus were sealed, was weakening. The High Penguins were getting frantic. They panicked, but kept it secret from everyone. Currently, it was only a rumour. The Amulet Keepers did not adress this problem yet. The Only one who believed it was King Triskelle.

Freezeland was recently re-elected a new prime minister, who was already unpopular with the High Penguin minority. His name was Amluc Riam. He had plans for the nation.

"Together, we can have all we desire!" He creid to the crowd in Bellaghy.

"Too long have we, the Freezlandians, suffered! It is time we took our rightful place in this world! Freezeland is known across the continent as 'The Land of Kings'! No longer will that title be empty! Take back the lands they stole from us! Rise up!"

The crowd roared with chants and cheers again.

"But, the fool, Triskelle, thinks otherwise! He believes that all are equal! He is as mad as a hatter! We are the Kings and Queens of the world!"

The crowd cried out again. Chants such as "We are Kings!" ,"Take it back", and "Up the New Revolution" were cried out across cities across the nation. So it had begun.

Chapter One: A Storm is Coming
Triskelle looked out his bedroom window out of Castle Fullmoon in Frostborough.

"And so it begins." He said to his newlywed wife, Lasaralyn.

"The first prophecy.. It never came true.." He said.

There was a knock on the door. In came Elessar.

"Hello, Elessar. I hope you fare better than us." Lasaralyn said.

"There's a storm coming," He said "and it's gonna be bad."

Triskelle was outraged and frustrated. He threw his silver pitcher of water out the balcony and into the empty and dark streets of Frostborough.

"And the light o'er the borough lay..." Said Lasaralyn.

"Triskelle, friend," said Elessar "We are terribly sorry for doubting you. You were right."

Triskelle went up to them both and hugged them.

"It's not your fault, I should have finished them a hundred years ago." He said, sobbing.

Will Whitefoot ran through the halls, ignoring the guards chasing after him. He broke through the door of Triskelle's room.

"I don't mean to interrupt the moment, but I have grave news." He cried, panting.

"Speak up, then!" Triskelle said.

"They've taken over all the ministries and parliament. You must be ready. next, they'll be after the Council, and then, you!" He said.

"That's dreadful!" Lasaralyn said, and began to cry.

"We must hurry, in that case!" Triskelle said.

He put his greatcoat on, and his armour on under it. He got his messenger bag on, and stuffed provisions and supplies in it.

"We cannot fly!" Elessar contradicted, steading Triskelle's flipper, which was going to unsheath his sword.

"We must hold our ground, and stand for our people! We need to fight!"

"All that is in our people's future is death." He said, knocking Elessar's flipper out of his way.

As he was about to walk through the door, he was blown back and slid across the room.

"Triskelle Waterdouse!" Yelled the white figure, which was becoming more clear.

"To think you, of all penguins, running away like a coward! You are you mother's son! Do what is right! I can't do anything, I'm a ghost! Oh, and congratulations on being king and all that, dear." Said the ghost of Gilraen.

"Yes, Mum. I suppose you're right." Said Triskelle.

"Suppose? I am right! Do as I tell you to! Now, I can only return two more times, so don't mess anything up or i'll haunt you forever!" She said, dissapearing.

Triskelle unsheathed his sword and went out the door.

"Where are you going?" Las said. "You heard her!"

"Rallying the guards!"

Chapter Two: The Beacons Lit
Dawn struck. Morning bells rang. The city woke up. Good Morning Freezeland aired, with special guest Amluc Riam. Today was declared a national holiday by Amluc, who declared that the monarchy and old government had no authority in Freezeland anymore.

There was riots and parties in the streets. Crazy rioters broke into shops and vandalised buildings. The police had to quell the riots. The army was called in to wipe clean any resistance of the "New Freezelandian Revolution".

However, some penguins remained loyal. Most shops closed, except for the loyal buildings. The Royal Jadis hotel checked in guests, the University of Frostborough's classes went on, the fish market remained open, Laoghire still built ships, Grace Brothers remained open, the GPO took care of it's daily mail, and Rideau Bedford still baked Frostborough's finest bread and pastries.

However, though loyal, Wren Corrigan did not serve beverages to just anyone today.

"He no longer needs to handle this quietly! Soon everyone will know, but it is already too late!" Triskelle cried.

"We've got to fight back! We can't hold out!" Elessar argued.

"Get me an orange Dance, please." Will Whitefoot said to Wren, the young High Penguin waitress.

"What about the old order?" Wren said.

"No, no, I don't like cherry." Will replied.

"No, I don't mean the cherry dance, I mean the secret order of High Penguins from back a hundred years ago! They defeated Malcur back then, why can't they now?"

"Yes, why not?" Las said.

"Because, that was a hundred years ago! I suppose we could rally as many HP's as we can, but I dunno if it'll work.." Said Triskelle.

"I've a paper here!" Said Wren. "I'll give everyone a ring and tell them to sign up!"

"That'd be grand!" Lasaralyn said.

Wren had a few penguins come and told them to sign.

"How many penguins do we have on our side?" Triskelle asked.

"Twenty-three. Twenty four is Lobelia Sackville's sister joins." Wren replied.

"Lobelia joined? Didn't think she'd fight after the Khanzem."

"Aye."

"Who else can join our cause? We've got a nation against twenty three." Las said.

"Twenty four, now!" Wren said from the back room.

"Twenty four." Corrected Las.

"There's that old knight up in -" Said Will.

"Deceased." Triskelle said.

"What about the warlock in -"

"Raving mad."

"The scullery maid down near -"

"Went to Arda."

"Who then, smart alek?"

"Light the beacons."

"Why? The USA is too busy, all our other allies are completely oblivious to our troubles as well."

"Light them. Help will come."

Meanwhile, in a underground PSA base, near the Freezelandian border, a agent was walking to a fellow.

"Sir, there are some reports of Freezelandian Treaty of Dorkugal documents being torn up"

"Hmm... ignore it!"

"Sir, it looks serious and-"

"No"

"But if we pass it up to the AIA-"

"I said no!"

"Yes sir"

At the beacon tower, two guards were patrolling around the beacon. Amluc comissioned them because he knew they would be attempted to be lit.

Triskelle snuck behind them.

"JUDO....CHOP!" He yelled, and knocked them both out.

Lasaralyn lit the beacon on fire with her amulet. They both quickly ran down the mountain and back to the base.

The beacons all across Antarctica lit up. High Penguins everywhere, who most had lost hope, regained their spirits and knew where they had to go. Mount Aura in the Mammoth Mountains.

Chapter Three: The Gathering of the High Penguins
High Penguins everywhere began their journey to Mount Aura. Except for those in Frostborough, who were stuck due to blockades in the city.

In the hidden cellar of Wren Corrigan's shop, the order stayed. Wren maintained her shop, and pretended to be loyal to Amluc. The order weren't the only High Penguins in the city. The HP's in parliament and the council of five still maintained their positions, but not for long. It had only been two days.

Elphias Doda, the head postmaster, became a messenger for the HP's in the city, living in basements and attics. He was sacked from his job.

Bathilda Sackville, Lobelia's cousin, was a municipal officer. She gave food, supplies, and arms to the remnants.

Nurmen Grindlegard, the MP (minister of parliament) for Midland, founded a secret radio programme that was only known by remnants.

Romulus Scroungegrim was on the Council of Five. He fought openly during the week of containment in Frostborough for High Penguin Freedom.

"It has recenty been reported that Amluc has tore apart the Freezelandian copy of the Treaty of Dorkugal. This means he could risk open war with the USA. Bad choice, eh, Stream?"

Triskelle turned off the radio.

"I'm tired of living like this! It's been a week of hiding! We must escape and get to mount Aura!"

Down the stairs came Brutus Thundersteel, another messenger.

"The country has fallen. Grindlegard, Sackville, Doda, and Scroungegrim are dead. They are coming. They know we are here. We must fly!"

Everyone jumped up and grabbed everything they needed. They were going to escape Frostborough.

They ran through the streets of Frostborough, attacking all the guards, police, and soldiers in their way.

They came to the last gate to get out of the city. A dark figure flew overhead and hovered a few feet off the ground.

"Trying to get away, are we? I'm sure we can sort this out. We are in fact, somewhat civilised." Amluc said.

"The only way to sort this out is to fufill the prophecy, MALCUR." Triskelle said, unsheating his sword and grabbing his amulet.

"Oh, you've clued in. Well, the only one fufiled will be Finwe's curse, sadly. But it isn't over yet. You can join me. I don't want to spill any High Penguin blood. Every drop of HP blood is worth a litre of the lowers blood. Oh, and how many there are these days. That is no trouble though, more food for the Maledict. I plan on transforming into it."

"Don't say that. Now, let us through or else." Said Triskelle.

"Or what? You'll splash me with water? Oh, I do fear that. Ha ha, go ahead."

"Don't tempt me..."

"Oh, I am scared! However, I would like a more poetic justice to your imminent doom. I'll let you through, just so I can have more fun. Unless you'd like to join me. It's never too late."

"When Antarctica boils over!"

"Very well, you may pass. Good luck, you'll need it."

The gates opened and Amluc dissapeared. The HP's ran through the gate, and headed towards the Mammoth Mountains.

Chapter Four: Let it Be Known
Amluc had done a good job in keeping the revolt secret. He had severed the wiring, radios, and Internet throughout the nation. It was clear that he had planned this for ages.

As the HP rebels marched out of the gates, a familiar penguin, donning a white skirt and red shirt, was leaning over and glancing about. This was Canren of the Antarctic Investigation Authority, a group normally banned from Freezeland. However, Midas and Herb had recently built an item for the nation, so she had gone in for that reason. When she saw this, she knew something was amiss.

Canren approached a rebel soldier who was standing by the gates and quried him sternly.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?"

"Good morning, lass. We are just about to do something that should have been done ninety years ago."

The soldier had mistaken Canren for a rebel. It must have had something to do with her appearence.

"Uhh, what exactly ARE you doing?"

"Miss, we're about to regain what is ours!"

"...-and what is that?"

"Haven't you heard? Our wise and noble Amluc seeks to regain Antarctica fror the High Penguins."

"Amluc? Your president?!"

"He's much more than a leader, madam. He's a revolutionary."

"...-and he's gonna take over Antarctica."

"Precisely, just as he should. Aren't you a little local to not hear about the revolution?"

"No, no I'm not. I've never heard about it. So, what exactly are you doing?"

"We're rallying the troops. We invade soon, and I look forward to you joining us. A fine lady as yourself should help us return justice to our species."

"Eww, no way-" Canren covered her beak. The guard glared and grabbed the penguin, swiping her player card and shaking it. An AIA badge fell out.

"Ah, it looks like we have a spy-"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

Canren's squeal caused the soldier to let go of her, and off she ran.

"AFTER HER!" the soldier was about to issue the order, when a superior stopped him.

"Let her go, the prophecy will come true, remember."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

Canren ran through the countryside screaming. Her shrieks had all of the residents coming out of their homes. She continued to scream as she ran as waddled as fast as physically possible.

She came across a really ugly Lesser penguin about to get in a car.

"I-NEED-TO-COMMANDEEER-THIS-CAR-IN-THE-NAME-OF-THE-GOVERNMENT!" Canren stammered, showing a spare AIA badge. She took the keys from the penguin and got in the car, starting it.

"Wait a minute... I only have a learner's permit! ...oh well, not my car!"

Pressing a web foot down on the gass, the car squealed and drove off.

Canren was speeding as fast as physically possible. In an attempt to ease her spastic fear, she turned on some music, and heard the voice of DJ X over the radio.

thumb|75px|right|Melody.

Now let me tell you all the story of a federal girl,

Who through eminent domain stole a car for a whirl.

This nutty young agent took that car for a ride,

-and in doing so had a Freezeland Treaty defied.

She may be breaking the law,

-but in war the laws fall!

Legal car jackin' girl!

Legal car jackin' girl!

 *Canren continue to drive, albeit with an awkward expression, during the crazy steel guitar solo* 

Well, the Freezeland Constitution forbids such gall,

-but to cross o'er the border she had to break the law!

Thanks to crazy Canren,        Amluc's plan may unfurl!

Legal car jackin' girl!

Legal car jackin' girl!

She's a tax-spendin', code-defyin', fed-backin', classifyin', border-runnin', car-jackin', headlinin', public-funded, car jackin' girl!

In about an hour, Canren had navigated across the border of Freezeland and was headed to South Pole City.

Canren kept on driving through the USA.

"Oh no! No fuel!"

The car halted.

"Great! How can I get to SPC now?"

"I think I can help" said a voice outside the car.

"Who are you?"

"Better not tell you. I'm with the PSA"

"Cool! I'm with the AIA-"

"Then I salute you. Take this spy phone, and click on ''Freezeland Border Base"

Caren vanished instantly.

"Good luck!"

Chapter Five: Protect the Gates
"Orders from Triskelle- protect the gates" said Jackio. In Ard Mhaca, the riots have been the worse. The whole police in the city had been destroyed, the High Penguin Remnant had been spread out, and The Bounders were yet to arive. The local city council was the priority.

"We got some elite merceneries" said a police officer, who had survived the attack.

"Really?"

"Yes, some retired soldiers from the 1st High Penguin Division of It's a Grand ol' Land, sir." Some senior High Penguin citzens, who were atleast 1000 years old, walked out of a retirement home.

"Let's get those swine!" said one of the senior citzens.

"Do it for Freezeland!" said another.

"For Arda!" said a aging High Penguin.

"What's Arda" asked the police officer.

"SHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" said the whole of 1st Legion.

"Oh, it's a classified document" replied Jackio.

"Scouts, secure the retirement officer!" said a High Penguin Officer.

"Fight till we die!" said Jackio.

"Welcome to Frysland in Exile radio. And today, more sad news-"

"Hellos to the world, or those good loyaltists, this is Freezeland Piracy Radio. Still more sad news-"

*static*

"Welcome to New Freezeland Radio, the new radio for those who hate High Penguins. And to those High Penguins that are listening-"

The loyal citzen switched off the radio.

"Till we die!"

Canren walked into the control room. She saw the Agent in control.

"Hello, I'm from the AIA and-"

"I salute you, mam!"

"Stop that! Half the base has said. Listen, connect me up to the South Pole Council"

"Yes, ma-"

"Don't!"

"Paintball coming up!" said Karazachi.

"Yeah we're gonna to-"

Suddenly, Shadow's TV switched on. But Shadow said he was busy.

"This is the AIA! We got a problem over the Freezelandian border" said what seemed to be Canren.

"There's been a rebelion"

"ORDUH! I SHAL GIV IT OVA TO DA EXCECTUTIVE CABONAT!"

"I deny-"

"Oh shut up!"

Suddenly, the TV switched on.

"This is the AIA! There's a civil war in Freezeland! And the rebels want to take over Anttarctica!"

"What????!!!! Right, code red! WAR COUNCIL!"

The chairs began to move into the council hall. The ministers laughed.

"Dude, this is fun!" said Tony Tuskhs.

"I, Billybob, declare a war council!"

"We need to declare a State of Emergancy"

"Contact the AIA!"

The TV broadcated to Professor Shroomsky.

"I heard out it. Yes. Tell citzens to take heed. If the Rebels invade, we'll declare a total war. We need allies- we'll try and contact the UTR" said Professor Zlo Shroomsky.

Chapter Six: The Remnant Rallies
Triskelle turned to Lasaralyn.

"Is there any hope?" He said.

"Of course, there is always hope. Help will come." She replied.

"Will it really? Or will Finwe's Curse come true!"

"I do not fear death, nor pain."

"What do you fear?"

"A cage. Imprisonment. To be kept behind bars, never to see the light of day and grow old in a cell. To be help in captivity, helpless and under the control of your master. That is what I fear."

"You are a brave woman."

"What do you fear?"

"What do I fear? To see the ones I love and care for be in pain and suffering, when I can't help. When someone I love is in need and I can not do anything for it. That is what I fear."

"We may both soon face our fears."

"These are hard times."

"Aye."

They watched the sun set from a cliff on Mount Aura. It is known for having one of Freezeland's most amazing views. They kissed and sat and thought about what the future held.

The next morning, the sun rose and woke up all the High Penguins and loyal penguins in Mount Aura. Triskelle was due to give a speech to arouse everyone.

"Sticks and stones won't shake us. They will strike like water on rock. We will fight them to the last penguin. If we are marked to die, let us face our destiny. To do our country loss; and if to live, the fewer penguins, the greater share of honour.

But if it is a crime to covet honour, I am the most offending penguin alive.

Peace! For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it! That he which has no stomach to this fight, let him retreat; he is welcome to flee, and crowns for convoy put into his bag;

We would not die in that penguins's company! That fears his fellowship to die with us!

A day may come when we fail, when we forsake all bonds of friendship and honour! But it is not today; in all my power, today is not that day! Today we fight!"

The crowd cheered and their spirits were lifted. They were ready for Amluc's Army.

In the council hall of the Mountain-side city, the leaders met.

"What now?" Will Whitefoot, the former prime minister asked.

"I dunno, what do you think?" Replied former Mayor of Withywindle, Tom Rousse.

"We wait." Said Triskelle.

"Wait for what? To be killed? To we wait for the USA or do we stay here?" Asked Will.

"That, I don't know."

"We can't just wait here like sitting ducks! There's many a way they can kill us here!" Said the commander of the Jadis Patrol Police.

"We hold out. We must wait for the USA to come, if they saw the beacons." Triskelle said.

"And if they don't?" Asked the commander of the JPP.

"Then we fight them, and if not, die trying!"

Chapter Seven: The Battle of Our Time
Triskelle shushed everyone. He heard a strange noise. It sounded as if a thousand penguins were clanging weapons and stomping on the ground. The castle shook. Everyone ran to the windows.

"Watch out!" Cried a guard.

A giant stone flew through the sky and hit a tower. Everyone in the tower screamed and jumped out.

"ORDUHHHHHHH! ORDORDUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" said Judge Xavier, as he shouted his longest ORDUH yet.

"Da war council has decidid dat if da Freezelandian rebels dare invade da USA, then we will be involved in da war"

"Freezeland Zapwire to UnitedTerra. He's the representative of Freezeland after all"

"Guess we won't have to contact the UnitedTerra Parliament" said James Mccane.

"Yup!" said Barrick Abanana.

"All parties rise before ZapWire" said Judge Konquer.

"Hello, most of you know me as Zapwire. Freezeland is in a terrible state. We need help. Please help us-"

"Yes, thank you ZapWire. TerraMount is in full support of helping the Freezelandian army."

"Scoodlepeep is in full support of this."

The other representatives agreed. Finaly, Administrator Kai stood up.

"The parliament has decided that UnitedTerra and it's Free States shall support the Freezelandian loyaltists. Case dismissed" he said.

An evil voice cried out and was even heard from a small village a hundred kilometres away.

"ABANDON YOUR POSTS! FLEE, FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!" It bellowed, terrifying soldier and civillian alike.

Triskelle and Elessar ran through the streets of the stone city, giving orders to everyone in sight.

"Get to cover!" They shouted to civilians.

"Get back to your posts! Stand your ground!" They commanded to soldiers.

The grey streets of Mount Aura's hidden city were practicly dead, except for the occasional pitter-patter of soldiers running to the outer walls.

"Aim... Fire!" Triskelle commaded the archers.

"Get the seige towers!" cried Elessar.

"They've got ladders! Knock down the ladders!" yelled Lasaralyn.

The battle raged. The seige towers and ladders had reached the first wall of the city. The guards drew their swords and tried to fight off the hordes of evil minions. It was almost impossible. There was too many!

Triskelle was surrounded. He was a major target. He had used all the power in his amulet and his amgic, but it wasn't enough. There was at least a hundred thousand strong attacking the stone city! The city's garrison was a mere ten thousand!

He drew his sword, forged of silver and moonrocks. It was almost nightfall. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage. At nigh, the forces of shadow were stronger, but also, the powers of water were stronger.

Triskelle turned his scarred head and saw the small river running through the south of the city. He knew they had to get out somehow.

"Defend the river! Get the civilians down the river! It leads to the sever, which should lead them out to the ocean and to safety!" He commaded.

Elessar and Lasaralyn escorted citizens into ice canoes down the river. The bad guys almost captured the citizens, but were frightened by an extremely bright light. Luce.

"Go! You are a disgrace to the name of High Penguins! Back, or else!" She yelled to the bad guys.

"Finally.." Elessar mumbled.

"Luce Tinuvel Anator! You've finally arrived!" Triskelle said, fighting off more evil soldiers, aiding more civillians down to the canoes.

The seige raged on. The defending forces had been doing good, until now. The tables were turning.

The dark mob of minions down in the field below Mount Aura was splitting open. A large dark figure, mounted on another large, dark figure, was slowly moving down the centre of the army.

"Watch the gates! Send a batallion down to brace the gates! Quickly! " Cried Triskelle. He knew they were going to try to break the main gates.

A horrid, massive ram was approaching the gate, along with Amluc Riam mounted on a dragon behind it.

The soldiers near the gate began to chant "RAM! RAM! RAM!" before the ram swung at th gate. The gates of Mount Auraa's mountainside city had never been breached before, but there was a first time for everyething.

The ram banged up against the gates and shook the entire mountain. The reinforced stone gate broke upon with six swings.In charged hundreds of the rabble of soldiers.

Meanwhile, Lasaralyn and Lobelia were trying to find a way to get everyone out safely.

"Crystal Pass!" Las exclaimed.

"What? Crystal Pas? The singer? She's been dead since 1888!" Lobelia said.

"No! The Crystal Paths! They lead from the South side of the Mountains to Dagor Fields, up around Withywindle!" She replied.

"Of course!"

"Bad Part is, how do we get 5,000 penguins though them? And we'd have to make a diversion to get a chance to escape."

Listening to the radio in her large mansion in the Freezelandian Riviera, Lilyglove the Love Bandit was shocked to hear the news.

The radio crackled. Lilyglove adjusted the antennae and was able to make out a few sentences. The weather was bad, so the reception was terrible.

"And so the High King Amluc Riam (may he forever prosper), messenger of the originial keepers of the Elemental Amulets, has declared war on any nations or rebels who disagree with his rightful rule." the radio show host said.

"WHAT? Since when did Amluc become king? And when is he a messenger of the first chicks?" She said to her servant.

"With all due respect, while you have been relaxing, Mistress, much has changed in the world. Amluc has been Prime Minister since then, overthrown the old government with the backup of the people, and declared himself king. The Old Republic of Freezeland is no more, the New Kingdom of Unified Antarctica is rising. Lord Amluc promises us equality of all races, High or lower."

"I thought something was going on.. And.. do not call a usurper LORD! You serve me, not 'Amluc Riam'. I mean, unscramble the letters in his name; 'I AM MALCUR'. "

"Yes, mistress."

Lilyglove had her servents fetch her weapons and armour. She broke out her illegal teleporter, and typed in the coordinants for the citadel, where Triskelle was trying to think of what to do.

Chapter Eight: The Escape
Triskelle looked down from the citadel. The battle raged. The gates had been breached. The walls were almost overrun. It was almost hopeless, even with Luce and Vesper's arrival.

All the innocent civillians had escaped, but the soldiers wouldn't be able to last the night. The garrison retreated to the next level of the walled city, the first inner wall wasn't as strong as the first, but it would buy time. Then, he turned around. With a flash of light, the penguin he least expected to see appeared out of thin air. Lilyglove! He used a water whip and held her up in the air in a whirlpool.

"Lilyglove, this is NOT the time!" He said, clenching his fist in anger.

"I am not here to rob you!" She yelled so loudly, everyone for the next five levels below could here.

"I'm here to help you." She said softly.

Triskelle unclenched his fist and she fell to the ground.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Triskelle asked.

Lilyglove blew a kiss.

"That doesn't work on me anymore, I'm in love with Las." He said.

"Wow, you are? Congrats! Anyways, Just trust me. I like this new republic less than the old one. In fact, I liked Old Freezelnd.."

Las and Lobelia rushed up through the gates up to the citadel. If they could get a diversion, then they could escape.

"Triskelle!" They yelled as they came up to the citadel.

"Yes?" He asked.

They stopped dead in their tracks. The World's most infamous female criminal, Lilyglove, was standing right next to Triskelle.

"Don't move, Trisk! The Love Bandit's behind you!" Lobelia said, lunging towards her.

"Oh, no worries, she's returned everything she's stolen and is good now." Triskelle said.

"Really?" Asked Las.

"Yep."

"Well.. that's a blast from the past" Said Las.

"Anyways," Interrupted Lobelia "We found a way out! Through the crystal caves! But, we need a diversion, and we need to seal the entrance."

"Sounds like something I can help with!" Lilyglove said. "I'll distract them, long enough for everyone to escape, and then seal the entrance using all the amulets."

"Agreed. Thank you, Lilyglove, for making the right choice." Said Lobelia.

Lilyglove rushed down to the centre of the enemy's lines, while Triskelle lead everyone to the caves.

"Hello, boys." She said, holding a fan in front of her face, only showing her eyes.

The soldiers stared, including Amluc, who were too weak minded to resist the charm of a Maenad. She walked up to Amluc, and told him to hold off the attack. He agreed.

"Triskelle, get them into the caves, now! Don't worry about me!" She yelled.

"Into the Crystal Caves everyone, it's our only chance of escape!" He commanded.

Lilyglove, still being somewhat of a criminal, couldn't pass up the oppoortunity to steal from the richest king in Antarctica. She found a 200,000 Fyro note, which was worth about 500 Fyro, because the currency was superinflated.

"You're a king and that's all the money you have? I'm out!" She said, enraged.

The Keeprers were the only ones still out of the caves. Because Lilyglove left, the soldiers advanced. They quickly ran into the caves, making sure everyone else was already inside.

Will Whitefoot used the Earth Amulet to tumble the rocks and cover the entrance, Lasaralyn used the fire to melt the rocks and Arvan Stratford cooled them down into a strong barrier with the air amulet. There was now a strong rock wall, but it wouldn't last long, like the main gates.

The good guys, after five days, made it to the other side of the caves. They were in the mammoth Valley, near Withywindle. Now they needed to make it to one of the three rivers, preferrably the Charn, and get to Arda. Or, they could take the twice as dangerous route and try to get to the Happyface State.

Chapter Nine: A Treaty That Should Never Be Broken
Nighttime reigned in South Pole City. A peaceful tranquil settled over the metropolis.

No one knew of the important event that was to take place that night.

A solitary light lit up the East Wing of the Capitol. Inside, the South Pole Council was holding a special meeting.

"Right, here are the facts," said Fred, standing behind his desk. "Freezeland has violated the terms of the Treaty of Dorkugal. At this very moment, a revolution is taking place in the country. This new, self-declared 'High King', Amluc Riam, is preparing to take over Antarctica. TO do that, he must conquer its most powerful and extensive controller, the United States of Antarctica. That's us."

Fred paused to take a breath, then continued. "If we don't start preparing for war now, Freezeland's superior navy and strong military will easily break through our National Guard's barricades. We need to amass our forces at the critical points. Right now, that's at the northern borders of the Happyface State.

"We also need to circumvent Freezeland's navy. As shown by the defeat of the Leader's naval forces during his attempt to take over Freezeland, air forces OWN naval assets. Thankfully, we have some of the best air forces in the continent. However, this alone won't stop the Freezelandian navy. We need the support of all the other nations of Antarctica to stop this menace. That is why you are all here," finished Fred, pointing to the representatives of the other Antarctic countries. "We need you to pledge your support and forces to our cause, so that we may attain victory."

"All political units who support da Anti-Freezeland cause, say so!" said Judge Xavier.

"Put your differences aside!" Fred shouted.

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Kwiksilver spoke up.

"Weddell pledges its support," he said with a smile.

Gradually, the other delegates began to pledge their support, too.

"Trans-Antarctica be a-pledgin' its darned good support!" said Bob McGoo. Everyone chucked a little at his accent.

"Pengolia and Penghis Khan pledge their support Penghis Khan says that he will most PWNSOMELY PWN this Amluc Riam," said Penghis Khan, "because PENGHIS KHAN IS MORE PWNSOME THAN ANYONE! AMLUC RIAM IS NOT PWNSOME ENOUGH TO CONQUER PENGOLIA! ONLY PENGHIS KHAN HAS THE RIGHT TO RULE!"

"UnitedTerra cookie-pledges its cookie-support!" said Ninjinian.

"Lichenblossom pledges its support!" yelled a Lichenblossomese Nerd.

"Dorkugal guarentees assistance." said another nerd.

"SPARKA PLEDGES TO FIGHT!" hollered yet another nerd. Everyone covered their ears due to microphone feedback.

In a rush, all the other delegates, not wanting to be the last delegate to pledge, shouted out their pledges of support. It happened in a flash.

"The Sub-Antarctic Islands pledge their support!"

"The Antarctic Peninsula pledges its support!"

"Flystonia pledges its support!"

"Pengydeen pledges its support!"

"Eastshield pledges its support!"

"Ternville pledges its bally support, wot wot!"

"MAI pledges its support!"

"You have the Hallowed Governance's blessing."

"In the name of exile, Turtly pledges assistance."

"For once, I have to agree with The Man. The Rock Union declares alliance."

"Jolly well, we'll team with you heathens. Poshia grants its presence among you."

"Macradonia will help!"

"Japaland pledges to help!"

"Surope affirms!

"Bottoms Up agrees!"

"Acadia pledges its support!"

"Daire Isle shall join you!"

"Nothing's gonna do something! We back you all the way!"

"Meh, I've got nobody over tonight." a penguin wearing a mental hosptial nameplate stated. "Ghostlia pledges its support."

Everyone blinked a minute. What's a Ghostlia?

"Umm... well, Maverick won't be left out of it!"

"Maps Island pledges its support!"

A spirit appeared in the room.

"The Uncharted Realms will assist you mortals."

"Don't forget us! We will help as well!" it was Huma and Stamm Sapie. "We must preserve our resear- ............our homeland! ...of Portugal!"

"IT'S DORKUGAL!"

"Right."

"Vell, don't leave us out of vit! East Pengolia will do all they van to protect 'zee vorkers... -and 'zee capitalist Noobs... from tyranny!"

"Dorkugal Minor and Industry Isles will help to their extent!"

"Outer Haven vows to fight!"

"Zenithlandia and our conscripted armies will do their best!"

"LOLZ, sLum4l | 4 iz g0nn4 bLOw tH3m uP!!!1!111!!11!!1!!1!!!"

"It is with honor that we, the Strebers of Farmish shall ally with you technological creatures."

Finally, when all the delegates were done, Fred took out a piece of paper which everyone signed.

"Let this paper," said he, "signify the great unity of Antarctica and her countries! From now on, you are all part of the Weddell Alliance, named after the state that was nice enough to go first!"

Everyone cheered. Antarctica's countries had finally united.

Chapter Ten: A Hiding Place
Forced with the choice of being captured by Amluc's army, or by the USA's army, the obvious choice would be to try to get to the USA.

So, the army set south, to the Happyface State. The trouble would be, trying to get past the border guards, and not catching the attention of Amluc's men.

The journey south would be long and dangerous. They would only move by night, hiding by day. Their numbers dwindled. More and more penguins gave up or were captured. Originialy starting with 5,000 by the time they escaped to the caves, they now had less than half of that number.

"Provisions?" Triskelle asked.

"We're good for the next few days, but by then we'll be in the HFS." Replied an officer.

"Arms?"

"We've a surplus, sir."

"Numbers?"

"A little less than 2300, sir"

"WHAT? We started with more than 5000!"

"Most have abandoned, been captured, or got lost, sir."

"That's terrible! Anyways, where are we supposed to be going? You are supposed to have the map..."

"Finwe's Draw, Happyface State. The only entirely High Penguin Settlement in the USA."

Finally, the army had almost entered the Happyface State. Safety was near. The welcome sign was just a stone's throw away, or so it seemed. Seeing the smiling faces and sunhine brightened everyone's spirits. Trouble was, Malcur's army was less than five clicks (kilometres) behind them.



Triskelle approached the border guard.

"I'm Triskelle Waterdouse, and we need passage. We are seeking shelter from the new ruler of Freezeland, Amluc Riam." He said.

"I know who you are.." Said the border guard hostilly.

"Please, If you don't let us through we will be captured, and possibly you will be next!"

"Why would I be captured? You obviously did something to get a bounty on yourself."

"Because, Amluc Riam wants to take over the world and we are trying to stop him!"

"How do I know you're not a spy, then?" He asked, not believing a word Triskelle said.

"Look!" Lasaralyn said "If you don't let us through you'll probobly die even quicker!"

"Well, if you put it in that case.. no. I'm not allowed to let anyone through." Said the border guard, before Lasaralyn KO'd him.

Amluc's army was right at their tail, though they wouldn't delve too far into the Happyface State. Finwe's Draw was five miles away, but most of the army was too far back to make it. Amluc's army was too fast.

After reaching the forest of Finwe, three miles from the border, Amluc's army stopped. They turned back with their prisoners.

"Elessar, headcount!" Triskelle commanded.

"Yes sir!" he said. "One, two, three, four... Three hundred and twenty seven!"

"THREE HUNDRED TWENTY SEVEN?"

"Aye, we're hard pressed for soldiers. Now we can only wait for the USA to defeat them, or, for the USA to get defeated."

"Normally I'd say otherwise, but for now, we must wait here."

They walked on to Finwe's Draw, which looked like the same as it did two hundred years ago. The cobblestone streets, the old building, penguins even wore the same styled clothing! You'd swear you went to the past!

Though many penguins were against it, they stayed in the town, waiting for help to come. They painted all the road signs black, so no one could know how far Finwe's Draw was. Unfortunately, when an ambassador from the USA was coming, they were painting the signs.

"You there! Old man, which way to Finwe's draw? And, why are you painting the signs?" Said the ambassador.

"Not tellin' ya! Tis so the Naughtzees can't find it!" He repilied.

"I'm not a Naughtzee.. they disbanded 90 years ago.."

"Dat's exactly what a Naughtzee would say if ye were one then!"

The ambassador just sighed and turned back.

Amluc planned to invade the USA soon. He had ammassed a large enough army. He knew he couldn't invade the Happyface State, since the defence was too large. And besides, the USA wouldn't attack his lands unless he attacked them.

"- Send the 42nd batallion down a few miles south from there, and have them stand ground. Thus giving us the lands between the Weddell and the border of the Happyface State, and having a clearing to pass through north to the Peninsula." Amluc said.

"There, we will move in and take the lands north of there, moving up and taking Shiverpool. From there, we can take our ships throgh Weddell. We can move troops into Club Penguin, crippling the USA's trade and commerce. Our timing has to be exact, otherwise they'll overrun us and we'll have to pull back or press forward, straight line to South Pole City."

The Captains and Commanders nodded, and then saluted.

"Yes sir!"

Slowly, Amluc was gaining power and influnce in the USA. Many of his followers in the USA were prominent figures, turned over by lust for power, or out of fear.

Barrick Abanana sat in his desk. The economy has gotten worse, all of those tsars to no avail, and even though the cars were back on the road, the USA was sliding into a crisis. Shady or not, Barrick knew that his country was in a dire crisis. All of his moves, from bailouts to stimulis to appointments, had failed...

Then, the old door creaked open and a shady penguin quietly slipped in, bowing to Barrick as he tended to do.

"Dear Leader, are you in need of assistance?"

"For banana's sake! Jong Arnold, I told you to, err, stop calling me that!"

Jong Arnold bowed once more and apologized. This penguin was even shadier than Barrick, and his style of dress and formality was that of a Ninja, a military soldier, a statesman, and an East Pengolian mixed into one. Jong Arnold was Barrick's closest advisor. He tempted Barrick and twisted things. He lent a flipper in ecomonic crisis, causing thousands to lose work, the currency to superinflate, and worse, he made Barrick think he was doing the right thing for the country.

"Hmm, it seems that you are once again pondering the fiscal status of this nation. Honorable Minister, might I suggest borrowing from Freezeland?"

"Err, didn't they have three central banks a few years back? Didn't they have wretched economic policies that stank like rotten bananas?"

"Yes, Honorable Minister, they did. However, they have rebounded with great intensity and their Fyro is worth hundreds of Pebbles, Coins, Khanz, and whatever junk you capital-"

"Err?"

"Nothing, Dear Leader. His Excellency of Freezeland has chosen to lend this nation a million Fyros if you cede but a few hundreds of miles of land in the Happyface State."

"Err, I guess it'll work, if the land ceded has a low population. Okay, I will do it."

Jong bowed and grinned slyly.

"You have done right, Honorable Minister. Please sign this paper to complete the cession."

Barrick did so.

The recession was labeled a depression by October 2010, the worst since 100 years before.

"Perfect, we can mold the USA in any way we like now. As long as we don't attack them, they will slowly seccede into the Kingdom of Unified Antarctica." Amluc said, looking down at his kingdom from the now ransacked Castle Fullmoon's tower.

"Sir," Said a messenger "We have news. The USA is prepared to offer hundreds of kilometres of land and 10,000 Fish in exchange for an economic stimulus from the highly valuble Fyro of 1,000,000."

"Deal".

Meanwhile, in the USA....

"That was a risky move," said Fred to the rest of the South Pole Council. "At this position, we'll have to run down the Freezelandian army by surprise, with combined forces from the Weddell Alliance."

Suddenly, an arctic tern messenger burst through the large, ornate doors of the East Wing. He panted a little, then shouted to the rest of the delegates.

"Sirs! The Board of Fiction has activated Legislation L337! The Bureau of Fiction is all systems go."

Fred smiled grimly. Legislation L337 was the backup policy for any universe that was on the verge of losing the war against evil. It permitted that universe's Bureau of Fiction to directly interfere with the plot to certain extents normally prohibited by multiverse policies. It was time to bring in the big guns.

"Right," said Fred. "Tell Mayor McFlapp to ready the helium tanks and digging machines."

Chapter Eleven: The Dorkugese War
Multiple generals who had chosen to serve Amluc were sitting at a table, discussing exaxctly how they would tackle the USA.

"We can't attack head on. One offense and they'll be on us like Membership on the wealthy."

"Well, our mole can only cede to much before his sweet-talking superior puts his webbed foot down."

"Well, we have the greatest Navy in the continent. Have you ever considered sweeping the islands and little nations and using THEIR resources?"

"That's ignoble, General. Why would we attack nations who can't defend themselves enough? It's not r-"

"Do it!" A gruff voice shouted. It was Amluc. The generals bowed low to their leader.

"Yes, my liege. Do you have a country in mind?"

"Well, not exactly a country..."

Amluc took a spear and stabbed the map.

"Them? My lord, they aren't even-"

"Yes sir..." The other general nodded, saluting. He took out a walkie-talkie.

"Captain, raid the Centriepistula."

The See wasn't the only nation in their crosshairs.

"Sir, there are foreign ships off the starboard stern!"

"What? Well, what are they sailing under?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen a flag like-"

BANG!!

"GET DOWN!"

BANG!

"Microchips, what did we do to them?"

"I have no idea, but our ships can't handle their's. They may be a new country. Let's try and reason with them. Raise the white flag, we'll try chatting."

The galleon lowered their flag and hoisted the USB logo, the Dorkugese equivalent to a truce flag. The "Universal" in USB meant compatibility, and thus peace, to the nerds.

An Amluc crony on the attacking destroyer ship gawked at the flag they were looking at.

"What in the name of Ard Marcha is THAT?"

"I think it's a truce flag. Pull over and board the ship. Maybe they want to join the cause of our glorious king."

The battleship pulled up beside the Dorkugese galleon. Raising a board onto the larger wooden vessel, some traitor High Penguin sailors came on board, confronting a bunch of terrified civillian nerds.

"Aww lowers," a sailor remarked, "we were shooting at civillians!"

The captain of the galleon threw over what looked like an old desktop PC, their anchor.

"Greetings and salutations. We don't really know who you are, and we didn't recognize your flag. Tell us, are you a new country? ...-and why were you shooting at us?"

"We are a part of the New World Order. I guess you didn't hear the news. Our glorious leader, Amluc Riam, wants to take back what's ours."

The nerds stared in fright. One motioned a flipper to the electrical room.

"I-i,teresting... w-why?"

"We're restoring Freezeland to its former glory... what is your crew doing with that electrical tape?"

Before the HPs could draw their swords, the nerds had wrapped them in rolls and rolls of tape. Naturally, it wouldn't stop them, but the nerds tossed the HPs overboard and unfurled their sails, heading back to Dorkugal. The crew of the warship untied their captains and reciwved orders to charge the island of nerds.

They were getting annexed, whether they want it or not.

At Redlink Abbey.....

'RING! RIIING!'

"Hello, this is Redlink Abbey, Abbess Glycian speaking. How can I help you?"

"THIS IS GEEK SQUAD BASE ONE, PI ISLAND! FREEZELAND'S DECLARED WAR AGAINST US! A FLEET OF HIGH PENGUIN DESTROYERS IS HEADING OUR WAY! WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS, I REPEAT, WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS!"

Static.

The Abbess slid down a stair rail, dashed down a corridor, and stepped inside the waiting elevator. Catchy theme music played.

"Dooby dooby doo-ba, dooby dooby doo-ba..."

Ding!

Abbess Glycian ran out of the elevator and into the telecommunications room, occupied by a single nerd at a telegraph desk.... thing.

"Signal the Patrol at Razzamatazastron! Dorkugal needs our help!"

"Right on it!"

The nerd began tapping out a distress signal in Morse code.

At Ratamazzata... er, Razzamatazastron Atoll....

An arctic tern sat at a old record player, listening to the distress signal, which was odd because phonographs don't function as transceivers.

"Come listen to this, sah!"

"What is it this bally time, Petey?"

"A bloomin' distress signal, from Dorkugal!"

"..-. .-- -.. / ..-. .-. --- -- / -.. --- .-. -.- ..- --. .- .-.. ---... / -.-. --- -.. . / .-. . -.. .-.-.- / ... - --- .--. .-.-.- / ..-. .-. . . --.. . .-.. .- -. -.. / -. .- ...- -.-- / .- - - .- -.-. -.- .. -. --. .-.-.- / ... - --- .--. .-.-.- / .-- . / .-. . --.- ..- .. .-. . / .- ... ... .. ... - .- -. -.-. . .-.-.- / ... - --- .--. .-.-.- / --. . . -.- / ... --.- ..- .- -.. / -... .- ... . / --- -. . / --- ..- - .-.-.-"

(Note: Slashes separate words, spaces separate letters. To translate, go here.)

The two terns stood there, shocked. Finally, the larger one broke the silence.

"Alert the Patrol! Prepare the Deletion Missiles!"

The Freezeland battleships blasted past the Dorkugese galleons. What didn't flee was sunk.

The fleet turned west at what would have been the entrance to Turtle Sea. Their naval prowess blew through and passed Pie Sea until they reached the only uncovered area on Pi Island. Since all other ports were taken, they rammed their boats on shore at the Statue of Education. Multiple sheets of copper cracked as the troops stormed ashore. Many more were on their way.

"Ma'am!" one nerd alerted the Abbess. "They're inside Dorkugal!"

The Abbess gasped. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOOT THE MISSILES SOON ENOUGH?!"

"..."

"WELL?!"

"We were reading."

"You're fired."

"Yes ma'am."

The Abbess turned away.

"Poor Dorkugal... we're no match for Freezeland. We must alert the mainland, they're going to charage US next!"

The Abbess gave the command to mobilize all of the military and lock the hotel down, in case of invasion. No one went in, no one went out. Outside of the inn, various monks and nuns activated and armed their Deletion Missiles.

Two thousand High Penguins burst into Floor One of Dorkugal. The glistening white tiles walls, coupled with the kiosks in the center and rooms on the side looked like a shopping mall. Adjusting themselves to the light, they took out dozens of Banana Blasters and aimed them at the patrons. Other units blocked all of the exits on the floor.

"Okay everyone, nobody move! We're here from the United Antarctic Kingdom. Take us to your king, and no one gets hurt. We do not want to hurt you, lowers or not!"

The nerds stared and pointed to a directory kiosk. The batillion marched forth, sending various golf carts and vehicles into the walls. Taking the directory, the headed to the CEO's floor, Floor Thirty Four. The nerds ran to their rooms, homes, shops, buildings, etc., and barred the doors, locked the windows, and pretty much shut down the island as the army climbed.

The HPs kept their word, not damaging anything but vehicles who swerved out of their way. Every floor shut off. After four hours, the sun went down (early spring), and one could actually watch the army's progress, as each floor's lights steadily went out.

A nerd was looking through a telescope at their motherland's building. It was slowly going dark.

The nerd alerted some other nerds to rally the missiles.

"RED ALERT! Patrol boat 39.84068116789 degrees west off the coast!"

The nerds locked every single gate to the interior of the Abbey and switched on the "NO VACANCY" signs. They signalled to guests and residents alike that they were in lockdown, and advised everyone to stay in the Inn and that they could not exit.

"FIRE!"

A KZT 8000 Deletion Missile roared into the sky. The lowers patrolling saw it launch, and took evasive actions. The missile just barely missed, but it DID destroy a nerd on a jet ski. He vanished in a flash of purple light and a small fizzing sound.

"CASUALTY REPORT!" a hooded penguin in a brown robe demanded.

"One terminated, Commander!"

"Excellent. How many were the enemy?"

"...zero, sir."

"YOU MISSED?!"

"Yes."

"WELL, FIRE AGAIN!"

The Abbey once again shot a deletion missile far into the air. This time, they didn't miss. The patrol boat vanished in a blast of purple and a much louder fizzing sound.

"BOOYAH! Target terminated!" The two nerds high-fived one-another. However, they had just deleted a patrol boat. The big guns would definitely appear after they learned of their scout's plight.

Twelve elite High Penguins sneaked through the darkness of Antarctica. They were heading from their territory to what was once the capital of Snowme, where the Centriepistula lay. It had been hours since they set off, and they were making great time.

"I still find it disrespectful to attack a neutral realm. It just doesn't seem right to me."

"Aye, but we have our orders, and if we want to cripple the rebels, we must destroy their communications network."

"I understand that, and it will advance our cause... -but tell me, good friend, is it right? Are we doing what is right? Is this REALLY how we should become the Land of Kings once more? I- I mean, through guerilla warfare on innocent civillians?"

The whole group stopped. It was a very low move.

"Think about it." one High Penguin noted. "What would the blessed Finwe think?"

"The mighty Finwe did take a policy of fair battles against those Naughtzee scum."

"Well, is THIS a fair fight? I mean, those peaceful, robed lowers couldn't fight a puffle! They merely help keep a nation's infrastructure running. What have they done to us?"

The other penguins nodded. Guilt was setting in.

"I agree." one High Penguin stated, throwing down his weapon. "We shouldn't raid a phone company."

The other penguins threw down their weapons as well.

"Amluc may have given the orders, but doing right is more important than doing fight."

"Aye, now let's go home."

The High Penguins turned around, wondering if Amluc really had their best interests in heart.

When Amluc Riam heard the news, he was angered, but didn't punish the troops. Amluc had prepared for any sort of guilt trip in his ranks. An army of Lowers would storm them later.

In South Pole City, Abbess Glycian conferenced with the rest of the Weddell Alliance.

"Lichenblossom will give all it's got, but I don't think it's enough. We need more firepower, but we don't have the capacity to mass-produce our weaponry."

"Well, why don't you hand over the task to the USA?" suggested Fred. "I'm sure Ternville is more than up to the job of making Deletion Missiles."

"But then how would our economy survive?" asked the Abbess. "We don't charge much on utilities or lodging."

"The USA will hand back the mass-production rights to you when this war is over," Fred replied. "If it ends well," he added beneath his breath.

"Isn't that a little.... I don't know.... economically dumb?"

"Yes, yes it is."

Silence.

"...well, I suppose that might work," said the Abbess, scratching her head. "It may take some time to fill out the paperwork."

"Not with this, it won't."

Fred pointed to Midas and Herb's latest project, an Ultra-Fast-Form-Filler-Outer-Inator, which Explorer had obtained for six gold bars.

"O_O"

Meanwhile the Macradonian and the Poshian navy were preparing to attack the Freezelandian navy from behind. Mainly they were transports making it easier then expected. They were aware that the odds were against them them. However with cover from the nerds who were armed with Deletion Missiles it should go well.

"All cannons ready to fire!" a Macradonian sailor yelled to the captain.

"FIRE!" the captain told the gunners. Deletion Lasers and shells destroyed a transport ship. The entire ship sank with sailors jumping. However by law of good seamanship all enemy sailors must be picked up by the opposing forces and imprisoned. A Poshian ship, the Shallow Pocket picked up the sailors.

"You heathens get in the hold down below. And don't touch the gold down there" the Poshian captain said.

Out in the distance the commander of the Poshian force, Rear Admiral Hcir Yug (that is Rich Guy spelt backwards) sailed on the Golden Purse Money Can't Buy (long title for a ship). The ship was decorated with gold, silver and platinum. It's surprising why it never sunk! Suddenly seven Deletion Missiles and a Deletion Slicer Missile cruised towards it. The Deletion Missiles deleted the Golden Purse Money Can't Buy and seven Macradonian cruisers. More soon arrived.

"What is going on? Nerds! Do you copy?" the captain of Fierce Yeti said over the radio to the nerd commander.

"We have a problem. A couple of High Penguins found a heavy deletion missile launher which can launch seven deletion missiles and one deletion slicer missile with the power to destroy a ship. Oh and the odds are against you now. The odds of us winning this battle is 100 to 1" the nerd commander said.

"Can you take the launcher back?" the captain asked.

"The chances are almost impossible. They got cover from the navy which are bombarding us with grape shot cannons. We need to retreat!" the commander replied.

"Launch your submarines if you have any. We need to take down those transports. Hold your ground while we get out of range of the missiles!" the captain ordered.

"Roger!" the nerd commander said.

The ships retreated and the submarines were launched. The battle for the Dorkugese War to be won here.

Meanwhile, at Gentoo Island, Fred, who had been recently promoted to supreme tacticians officer, was overseeing a revolutionary operation: the first ever launch of a KZT Triple X deletion missile during war.

"We cut off the snake's head, the body will die as well," said Fred to a few select delegates from the South Pole Council. "Deleting Bellaghy will destroy the Freezelandian economy in the long run, and even if Freezeland manages to establish other mines, we'll still be able to gain a headstart in this war through other means."

Fred paused for a breath.

"My brother has just bought seven hundred thousand large helium tanks from Midas and Herb. By sending a troop armed with the helium and several standardized mining machines down the Kermillian Channels so that they end up directly under Freezeland's largest -- and only -- silver deposit, we can mine out a good portion of Freezeland's silver before they get to it, and replace that silver with a pocket of helium gas. Once the Freezelandians reach down there, the trapped helium will literally uplift the ground, causing earthquakes and giving 47% of the population squeaky voices. We'll also get extra silver to use for money, thus ending the economic depression. And I know just how to get rid of that pesky advisor...."

Everyone in the room nodded, impressed with all the preemptive strategies Fred had concocted.

The Freezelandian 1st Cavalry helicopters flew over the seas of Dorkugal. These were Weddell Alliance waters so they were safe. A soldier on board looked out.

His name; Willy Jay Penguin, better known as Willy the Penguin or to his new allies, Private Penguin. A phone call came through. He answered it.

"This is Kwiksilver. Are you on board?"

"Yes. I am".

Suddenly his phone was taken off him by his squadron leader, Sergeant First Class Joseph Jenkins.

"Private Penguin, this is a warzone. Now shut up and get ready for combat" he roared. Everyone on board stared at Willy.

Combat wasn't far away. He looked at his fellow comrades - and he couldn't believe it.

"Screwball? Is that you?" Willy asked.

"Yeah it's me" Screwball said.

"What are you doing here? When did you join? I thought you didn't fight in any war brother".

"Let's just say I have powerful friends who trained me up" he replied.

"Oh... BoF" Willy muttered. He guessed that they probably edited his background so he at one point trained with the Freezelandian 1st Air Cavalry.

Whatever. War wasn't far away!

"How could there be so few of us left? Where did they all go? Did they abandone hope?" Said Triskelle.

"We may have reason yet to retain out hope, I sense." Replied Lasaralyn. The two were strolling down the main throroughfare in Finwe's Draw, watching the sun rise from behind a hill that overlooked the village.

On the horizon, a dim, shadowy, figure slowly marched up the hill. Who could this be? A soldier from the USA? A Freezelandian scout, sent by Malcur? Everyone was wary. The figure was holding a horn in his hand, which looked of High Penguin make. That still didn't narrow it down. Freezeland was full of High Penguins, both Good and Evil! If he blew that horn.. what would happen?

The figure reached the top of the hill, the red sun rising behind him. He lifted his flipper, and Triskelle cringed because of anxiety. Triskelle cautiously grapsed the hilt of his sword, and Lasaralyn held his hand in fright. The figure could be signalling an army! Thought Triskelle.

After an awkward silnce that seemed to last ages, the figure pulled down his hood. And after a long, dramatic, blow, more penguins started to appear from behind the other side of the hill. Some had swords, spears, bows, muskets, staffs, and flags. Others had nothing but a backpack. There were both young and old, short and tall, male and female, High and Lower. Immediately, Triskelle and Lasaralyn knew who they were. The remaining pockets of Freezelandian Resistance! They had left Freezeland!

Chapter Twelve: The Archet Ranger
"How could there be so few of us left? Where did they all go? Did they abandone hope?" Said Triskelle.

"We may have reason yet to retain out hope, I sense." Replied Lasaralyn. The two were strolling down the main throroughfare in Finwe's Draw, watching the sun rise from behind a hill that overlooked the village.

On the horizon, a dim, shadowy, figure slowly marched up the hill. Who could this be? A soldier from the USA? A Freezelandian scout, sent by Malcur? Everyone was wary. The figure was holding a horn in his hand, which looked of High Penguin make. That still didn't narrow it down. Freezeland was full of High Penguins, both Good and Evil! If he blew that horn.. what would happen?

The figure reached the top of the hill, the red sun rising behind him. He lifted his flipper, and Triskelle cringed because of anxiety. Triskelle cautiously grapsed the hilt of his sword, and Lasaralyn held his hand in fright. The figure could be signalling an army! Thought Triskelle.

After an awkward silnce that seemed to last ages, the figure pulled down his hood. And after a long, dramatic, blow, more penguins started to appear from behind the other side of the hill. Some had swords, spears, bows, muskets, staffs, and flags. Others had nothing but a backpack. There were both young and old, short and tall, male and female, High and Lower. Immediately, Triskelle and Lasaralyn knew who they were. The remaining pockets of Freezelandian Resistance! They had left Freezeland!

Triskelle and Las both smiled widely. They kissed each other, and ran out to meet the soldiers. From inside their houses and igloos, penguins ran out to meet them. The penguins on the hill (and there were many of them) rushed down the hill, chanting, singing, and cheering!

"We mean peace, Triskelle, son of Ulmos." Said the penguin with the horn.

"Amdir! Where have the Watchers been in this perilous time?" Triskelle said.

"Rallying. From all Archet, from Northfold to Snowbourne."

"Great! An what of the originial 5,000 soldiers we left Freezeland with?"

"The ones who weren't delted, banned, or brainwashed, are with us."

"That is good news. But we will need more than 5,000 to defeat the armies of Malcur."

"Exactly. We have well over 75,000 spears amassed. Not only do we have loyal HP's, but Sroots, Rangers, the Bounders of Snowbourne, both Euphoric and Freezelandian-Archetians, Freezelandian patriots, some of your former servants and guards, the other Keepers of the Amulets, and the High Penguin Knights."

"Hoorah! But, I sense you bring grave tidings as well. Speak now, what troubles you?"

"The USA is at a breaking point. Rumour has it, Amluc is going to attack the Free Republics, one by one. The USA cannot intervene unless they directly attack a state. They can only send "peacekeepers" who distribute bandages and bottled water after the battles. All communication with Dorkugal has been lost. The Silver mines of Bellaghy are producing tenfold their normal quota. The USA is completely oblivious to what is actually going on. It's a sad state of affairs, it is."

Triskelle's grin turned into a sigh. "That's awful!"

"Yes," Replied Amdir. "However, we do know their battle plan. Once they get the Free Republics, they'll simultaneously beseige Club Penguin, and send tropps in all directions. They will deploy troops to Shiverpool and Weddell, Trans-Antarctica, Pengolia, and the coast of EAstshield. They will use magic to dry the Jadis river, and send down through Eastshield and move in to South Pole City. Amluc has already said, in a classified document (that was leaked), that he wants to replace the Giant Pen with a statue of him."

"Oh my. But I know you haven't told me it all. I beseech you, don't hold your tongue!"

"The USA has signed a deal, effective December 7th, that gives Freezeland control over Archet and the Happyface State."

"The USA has betrayed us!" Cried a Euphoric Sroot.

"They - what now?" Said Lasaralyn.

"You heard me. Anyway, that's anoher story, for another time. Perhaps tonight." Replied Amdir.

"How do you know this?" Inquired Triskelle.

"We have many moles. Spies. Many Sroots were deleted to bring us this information, for it is precious as silver. Triskelle, We must leave Archet as soon as possible."

"But whist do we go?"

"Club Penguin Island." Replied Amdir.

"There is a summitt there to adress the economy on December 7th, the day that Archet is handed over to Freezeland. Ironically, we wanted to become part of Freezeland. We finally get it, and then we don't want it. Oh, the irony!"

Triskelle cringed, because the incident at Beap Seaport was on December7th. That day would be forever etched in his memory.

"Sensei, a very wise dufflpud has trained many penguins, High and Lower, to master the arts of Fire and Water through a game he calls Card-Jitsu. He will harbour us, and we can use his Ninjas to fend off the impending war."

"Finwe and I trained him. We knew there was great promise in him. Unfortunately, we could only teach him Fire, Ice, and Water, because the Khanzem broke out. Sensei was taught fire by Las, Ice by Elsar, and water by Myself. His powers are only bested by Keepers themselves. It is often gosspied that he is Finwe's son. We can go through CP seemingly unoticed, since the townsfolk will think that my guards are " water ninjas". I will bring a small company  on the Island. The rest will wait on the tip on the Peninsula.Myself, the other Keeprs, you Amdir, a few watchers, a few knights and a few of my guards. Leave all that can be spared behind! On the second morn, we leave! Now disperse, penguins, for there will be a feast of celebration tonight!" Declared Triskelle.

He turned back to Amdir, while the chattering peguins talked amongst themselves.

"If the delegates can be conviced, then we will have sufficient forces at our flippertips. " Triskelle said.

"And what then? Shall we strike? Shall we flee? Shall we hold our ground?" Inquired Amdir.

"We should stick to whatever plan unfolds itself. Amdir, you know what is best for you and what your are destined to be. I do not think that that road should prove too much for your courage."

"That road is not meant for me. I am a dufflepud; a half breed. Is it not said 'Go not to High Penguins for counsel, for they will say both yes and no'?

"Is it?" Triskelle laughed. "We seldom give unguarded advice, for it is a dangerous gift. Even from the wise to the wise a course may run ill. Isn't it also said 'Do not meddle in the affairs of rangers, for they are subtle and quick to anger'? But what would you do? You have not told me all concerning yourself, so I can not decide for you. All I can say is that it is a dangerous buisness, going out your door. You never know where your feet may carry you, if you don't keep up. Remember the Prophecy?

''Not all silver and gold glitters. Not all wanderers are lost. The old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. Out of ashes, the fire shall awaken. A light from the shadows shall spring; and so Archet will have a king.''"

Amdir sighed. "That doesn't rhyme. I'm afraid, friend, our conversation has strayed from current affairs. We cannot linger. For tonight we feast, tomorrow we pack, the next day, we fly to Club Penguin."

"Agreed."

And so, hat night, using much magic, thousands feasted. This was excellent tasting food from rations, and because magic had to be saved, the magic was rationed, as well. Compared to the food of the days of old this was food for the poor.

The High Penguins sat around fires, speaking in Valnorian, Gaelic, and Penguinian. They were telling tales, singing songs, and recalling lore. There was much laughter and merriment for such perilous times. There was heaping plates, and overflowing cups. Among the food served, there was a fragrant type of High Penguin brew, cool as a clear fountain, and as golden as a summer afternoon. After everyone went to sleep, Triskelle and Amdir stayed up for hours talking.

The next day, everyone packed their things and got ready to leave. The next morning, 75,000 penguins said their farewells to the realm of Archet, and the land of Ard Mhaca (Freezeland). This was foretold in a prophecy of old, which said, "Out of ashes fire shall be woken".

Chapter Thirteen: I Am Malcur
Amluc Riam waddled down the hall of his new palace, formerly known as Castle Fullmoon. He was thinking of changing the name. He was happy, for Amluc had just returned from a meeting. All communications with Dorkugal, except with those is Amluc's newly established Communication Bureau, were to be censored to prevent any truth from leaking to the news. The USA was completely oblivious! They got a dork to radio in and tell the USA that there was just a communications malfunction, and that it should be up and running in a few days.

Now Dorkugal was under his iron flipper. Lichenblossom, a former High Penguin area, had been "liberated", much to that country's chagrin (irony). All the resistance in Freezeland has ceased, and as of tomorrow thre deal that gave Archet into his control would be ratified.

One by one, he would take over the continent. His army was now large and powerful enough, now all he needs is the Iluvat. "Now to take care of those lower scum." He mumbled to himself. Little did he know, High Penguins were only called "High" because they were taller.

Amluc burst out of the doors of the Royal Balcony to address the screaming masses. He raised his flippers in the are and they hushed.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat.

"Loyal citizens of the Freezelandian Republic." He bellowed. "I...erm.. haven't been fully honest with you." There were some whisperings and murmurings when they heard this.

"I am of the surperior king. I am adept in the art of magic. I am as old as the calender. I was born in Valnor. I am rightful King over Antarctica. I once desired the Kingdom of Valnor, but I was trodden down! Those fools, my brothers and sisters, created six amulets to supplot me. But I was wise. I forged another, out of the raw power that most penguins dare not touch. But, while I was blinded, with my back turned, my amulet was taken. For my recompense, I conquered these lands! Of course, it was a fitting reward. However, in the year 742, I was dethroned. My most loyal servant, who you call Iscapus O'Real, yes, Mayor of this fair City, found a way for me to escape my death at the hands of my kin. He created a void, where we would hide for many winters. When we heard of Whoot Smackler Whoot's anger festering inside of him, we knew his intent. We came out, to protect our kind.  But, Finwe sensed our presenseagain. We slew him, for we knew his deception was nigh. Do you know why the Khanzem happened? Finwe, yes, so called "saint", wanted this, to "test" his servants! But it resulted in the utter defeat of the High Penguin kind!"

By this time, everyone was confused. He was all over the place, beating around the bush, no one had a clue of what he was trying to let on. Of course, his story was not true.

"The Good Guys flourised after his death. It is after he died that their armies began to win. The Good Guys dwelled in these lands. For this reason, you shall dwell with me in my kingdom, which soon shall be all of Antarctica! Normal Penguins of this land, you will be rich! High Penguins, you will be my governors, my representitives! But, any traitor, any that stand in our way will be eradicated. Disloyalty will be repayed with vengeance, fealty, with reward. And braery, with honour. Triskelle, the former 'king' was a herald of woe. He mislead you, and did not allow the pure magical powers of this land to be unleashed. Freezeland will reach it's full potential, with ME!" Penguins all across the nation cheered. Unfortunately, they were under his spell.

"Here is wisdom; you will unite, under my banner, or you will fall. I shall now reveal my true name."

Amluc made his name in fire-letters, then rearranged them to say:

I AM MALCUR

And Iscapus O'Real did the same.

OPACUS IS REAL

Before anyone could boo, Malcur explained that he was misrepresented in High Penguin lore. He went on to say how much he loved Freezeland. He swore that any that stood in Freezeland's way of progress would be destroyed. Millions cheered.

Malcur raised his flippers again. "The Civil War has ended. OUR RESTORATION HAS BEGUN! Take back the land they stole from us!"

-and so the choice of whom millions would serve was decided.

Then, Malcur turned to Ocapus.

"I need to make a speech to the citizens of the newly annexed Dorkugese empire. You stay here and quash any potential rebellions."

After their breakfast, the entire company finished packing. Everyone was tired, since the sun had been up most of the night. It was close on half ten before they got off. By that time, the whole of Archet was buzzing with excitement. These mysterious and unusual happenings would long be remembered for many long, uneventful, years.

Many came to see them off. Penguins from Midgewater, Combe, and even Chetwood went to Finwe's Draw that morning to witness the flight of thousands of Freezelandians and Archetians alike. They were crowded on the sides of the roads.

Triskelle had changed his mind. The Gap of Weddell was manned by Vikings, many of whom now sided with Amluc Riam. Triskelle decided to leave Archet by the main road, and go through the Happyface State and straight down the coast of the Antarctica Peninsula. They would try not to stop, only when nessecary, such as when people needed to sleep. The company would probobly be noticed, of this they were sure, but at least they would be safe.

They said goodbye to the penguins of Finwe's Draw with many thanks. "I hope we shall meet again, some day. Perhaps when things are merrier." Said Triskelle, adressing the crowd of Archetians. "I should like nothing beter than to stay in your land in peace for a while."

Triskelle took no notice of inquisitve heads that peeped out of doors, or popped over walls and fences, as they passed. At last they left the village behind. The escort of children and stragglers that had followed the army got tired and turned back at the South-gate. Passing through, they kept along the road for some miles. It bent to the left, curving back into its eastward line as it rounded the feet of Chethill, where Chetwood was located, and then it began to run swiftly downwards into a wooded country. To their left they could see some of th houses and igloos of Staddle on the gentler south-eastern slopes of the hills; down in a deep hollow away north of the road there were wisps of rising smoke where Combe lay.

After the road had run down some way, and had left the rolling hills of Archet, standing tall and white behind, they came on a narrow track that led off towards the north.

"I lied about our route." Said Triskelle. "This is where we leave the open main roads and take to unused tertiary roads."

"Not a 'short cut" I hope." Said Amdir. "Short cuts make long delays."

"It isn't a short cut. It will make delay, but these lands are dangerous for us to pass through, what with Amluc about to be handed the keys to Archet any day now. It will delay us, because the path to near the Southeast part of the Antarctic Peninsula is narrow. It will take us around the Viking Lands of the Gap of Weddell."

They marched as far as they could down the path that they could indure without having to take a rest. After a few, the narrowness of the path seemed to vanish. It became an open plain, with mountains on one side and melting ice-fields on the other.

"I have not counted the days we have traversed from Archet. But alas, I know we have entered the Antarctic Peninsula. I fear for those still in Archet." Said Amdir.

"My heart would be glad if it were springtime, and the day and night times proper. Oh, to be under the eaves of my garden in Frostborough!" Said Lasaralyn.

"My heart would be glad, even in winter, for Shiverpool lies but a few leagues in front of us!" Said Triskelle.

Of the journey from Archet to the Peninsula's mouth Triskelle remembered little. His memory seemed to have been almost wiped away, by the winds, blowing through the branches of the wooded path.

The first night in the Peninsula came. It was silent and windless; the grey eas wind had passed away. The thin crescent of the moon had fallen early into the pale sunrise, but the sky was clear above, and though far away in the West there were great ranges of cloud that still shone faintly, in the South stars glinted bright. Daylight came very early, for the summer solstice was near.

They started again before the day was broad. Most of the company was in a hurry to reach Shiverpool, for the hospitality of Shiverpool's folk was well known for being warm and open. Perhaps they could get better transportation. However, they would still be content that Club Penguin only lied a week away.

Chapter Fourteen: The Dorkugal Annex
Times had changed in Dorkugal. The empire, long standing solely by tribute and common culture, had been wiped out easily because of their total lack of naval skills. Sure, they could run a supercomputer, but no teleporter could do what their galleons did. It was a matter of getting there.

In the royal quarters, the CEO of Dorkugal, Tim Stevens, was held a prisoner of his own realm. He lost the throne as quickly as they walked in. Sure, he'd fought in the military as a young penguin, but he was far too old to defend his country, especially since Dorkugal was too high-tech for his obsolete antics. The Dorkugese Regency had all been taken captive and he was forced to give up the throne to a penguin he never heard of. He cried when he saw them lowering the Dorkugese flag and raising Malcur's, and the old soldier in him wanted to fight.

He was allowed one last speech to his people before he would "vanish".

"All righty dorkpants," a High Penguin said dishonorably to the nerd king, "Your speech is ready. No one outside of this tower will hear it. We're already storming Evil Lake and the airports as we speak, so there is no escape. Say anything you want. Just don't incite a riot."

Tim nodded as he had the cameras thrown on. All over Dorkugal, the CEO appeared on television screens, computers, and any domestic broadcast method.

"M-males and f-females of D-D-D-Dorkugal... I I come t-to all of you in th-these darkest- these darkest of t-times. Our, our our land has f-fallen to the control of... Malcur of Fr-Frezeland."

The nerds gasped collectively.

"I-I know. It br-breaks my my he-heart to think, think of it myself. It's- it's not going to get any a-any worse, though, friends. I, I've been told that we-we're under the, the iron h-h-hegemony of a dark and e-evil emp, empire. Our empire, it's, it's fallen... so... I a-apologize... I h-have shamed my p-people, people. I have sh-shamed technology. I... I am not f-fit to be your, your leader. Had I b-been, I wouldn't have need any r-regents... I a-a-ask that, that you, the brilliant m-minds of Dorkugal, that you, you will devise a means of r-reversing the ev-evils br-brought on our... our fair land. ...-and, and I hope that you'll f-forgive, forgive me for my incomp-incompetence, in governing this nation."

The nerds had always liked Tim, even if he wasn't very technologically advanced. He tried his hardest and fought to serve Antarctica as a youth. He pioneered major social policies, but he couldn't tell a monitor from a mouse (that was what the Regency was for).

"To the R-Regents, wherever you, you are... I w-w-wish you safe, safety and luck... -and let me tell y-you, you were some of the n-nicest penguins I e-ever had the pr-privelage, the privelage to meet... bless y-you."

A soldier tapped Tim on his aged shoulder. Tim's microphone was still on.

"Hurry up, gramps. The mighty Malcur is about to make a speech to his new people."

"Malcur can g-go kiss my, my reel-to-reel c-con-console, vile foreigner!"

The High Penguin gasped, and all the nerds followed.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

"All right geezer, that's about enough of your preaching. Get off the pedestal."

"As s-surely as the, the Internet, is not a big truck, I-I won't- my p-people, they won't... you c-can't do this! W-we won't let you get, g-g-get away with it!"

"Okay, that's about enough of that! Malcur is not to be insulted!"

"I'll flame 'em if I want t-to, foreign, foreigner!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!" they were also surprised that Tim used an Internet phrase.

"I didn't g-go fight in, in the Colonial Re-r-r-r-rev-revolutionaries... to see fr-freedom fall! I was in the air, the air f-force, ya know!"

On the screen, the nerds cheered as Tim pushed at the High Penguin on-screen.

"Stevens, Malcur will be here in seconds. You don't want to anger him."

"I'd like, like to m-meet that bully in, in p-person! Give him, a piece, a p-piece of my mind! May, m-may everthing Malcur, M-Malcur does, f-fail! Fail like a blue, like a blue sc-screen!"

The High Penguin slapped Tim as some others grabbed him and pulled him off camera, as he began shouting and calling curses on Malcur. The nerds watching became outraged. It would take quite a feat for Malcur to win them over.

As Malcur appeared on the screen, the audience began booing and screaming at him, until assorted High Penguin gaurds hushed every floor with heavy warning shots by their guns. Dorkugal could be held by trickery, like Freezeland, or by force, like Archet.

Chapter Fifteen: The Remnant
Triskelle and Amdir led the company- of which they had named “The Remnant”- to the outskirts of the fishing town of Shiverpool. The town was formerly known as Fogvale, because it was usually veiled in fog. This sometimes was an advantage, for instance, when it hid the town from the Fluffenwaffle during the Khanzem, but could be an inconvenience because merchant ships sometimes couldn’t find the town. Shiverpool supplied a good number of fish for the country, but recently the fish populations have diminished, forcing many fishermen to relocate. Many of their sons and daughters, after school or during holidays, took up surfing. They grew up, and now Shiverpool is known as the “Surfing capital of Antarctica”.

Most of the company set up their tents outside of the town, while a few went into the town. Triskelle, Amdir, and Lasaralyn, went up to the mayor’s igloo. The knocker was a bronze fish that resembled the one on the USA’s currency. Amdir made a loud, hard knock, so as to wake up anyone who may be inside. A plump, blue penguin stepped up to the door and opened it.

“Good evening.” He said, creeping out the door nervously.

“Evening, sir.” Replied Amdir.

The three of them waddled into his igloo and sat down at his dining table. The penguin gave them an odd gaze, and then called down his wife to make some tea for them.

After a few minutes of an awkward silence, he finally spoke

“Who are you and why are you in my igloo?”

“I am Triskelle, former King of the Realm of Freezeland. This is my consort, Lasaralyn, and the Ranger of Archet, Amdir. We are here in your midst because we seek refuge. We lead a company of 100,000 penguins up the peninsula to Club Penguin. We are in dire need of supplies. I ask that you would allow us safe refuge in your domain, for my folk are weary, and that we may have some of your stock of supplies. Please you would hear us; we are not heralding evil, but fleeing from it.”

“Well, I’m afraid that we haven’t got much ‘stock’. Almost all the fish are gone, leaving our town in shambles. You know what I had for supper? SMELT. Three flipping deep fried smelt. You can have your passage. I have a spare room with one bed and one of you can sleep on the couch. In the morning, we will see what we can do.”

So, Triskelle and Lasaralyn took the bed and Amdir took the couch. They woke around 7:00 to a breakfast of tuna on toast.

“Do you lot ever grow tired of fish?” Enquired Lasaralyn.

“Oh, no,” Replied the Mayor’s wife. “We love it. We were raised on it; it was all we got, so one tends to get used to it.”

So they sat and ate tuna fish on toast, discussing thing from current affairs, to Triskelle and Lasaralyn’s memories from growing up here. Turns out, Lasaralyn used to babysit the mayor and his wife. They found out it that it was December 19th, two days until December the 21st, Freezeland Day, and also the day when the amulet’s powers were at the fullest. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do; there was no one to fight, so they went about the day as normal. The mayor of Shiverpool gave Triskelle a phial of 100% Pure Shiverpoolian Fish oil, which with one drop could heal any wound. To Amdir, he gave a dagger made of fish bone, sharp, but light and versatile. The Mayor’s Wife gave Lasaralyn a cookbook, containing over 238 traditional Shiverpoolian fish recipes. They supplied them with 15 jeeps, and a few crateful’s of fish as an early Christmas present.

Chapter Sixteen: Tales From Club Penguin
The company set out once again the next day, feeling refreshed after two days of rest. Everyone took turns in the jeeps. They reached the tip of the Peninsula by Christmas eve-day, making almost record time. In the distance they could see the Beacon.

Triskelle summoned the leaders of the Remnant. The leaders were; Amdir, Lasaralyn, Arvan, Elessar,

Luce, Theangel, Will Whitefoot, and Jackio. They hushed the masses and Triskelle spoke.

“We’ve reached our destination. You are not held by any oath or bond to go any further. Perhaps you wish to remain here, in the Peninsula, and settle. Or maybe, to go off and make your way in life somewhere distant, where you can start anew. But those of you who would willingly go with us to fight the armies of Malcur, you have my perpetual gratitude. Your valour, your gallantry, I applaud it; all of you. You remained faithful to me, and though you have been forsaken by your country, know that you were cut off for a good reason. That reason? You did not succumb to the ways of evil, the ways of disloyalty, the way of shame. You chose the path of righteousness; of honour, of bravery, of wisdom. Long shall the minstrels sing of our flight! Those of you with chicks, pass this tale on to them. This may be the last time I address you, but remember my request; honour this tale, and remember it.”

Triskelle turned to the leaders, amid the chattering crowd.

“From here on out it is no longer your quest. Amdir, I have something for you. Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna malinornílon!”

A long, pointy, brown spear, with designs carved into the hilt and an ice blue tip appeared in Triskelle’s flipper. He handed it to Amdir.

“Amdir, I told you, you cannot run from your destiny. You were born to defeat Malcur and ascend to the throne of Archet. But, only with this spear, the spear of Finwë, can you slay him. Now, who will travel with the two of us to Club Penguin?”

Arvan, Theangel, and Lasaralyn, volunteered. The others would stay there, for now. They set out on a small boat to C.P Island. When they were about halfway there, a large blue sign appeared in front of them, stopping the boat.

'WELCOME TO CLUB PENGUIN! PLEASE CHOOSE A SERVER.'

“What’s that; a ‘server’? Sounds fishy to me; I think I’ll write about it in ‘The Truth’.” Said Arvan.

“I guess we just press one of these buttons…” Replied Amdir.

So, they all decided on the server Deep Freeze. They pressed the button, and immediately began to hear theme music.

“It’s like a different world… Last time I was here, it was during the Great Storm of ’09. Of course, we were above the storm, in Ternville, so all we had to do was parachute down. We were sent to a ‘server’ automatically, I guess.” Said Arvan.

Repetitive Christmas music blared. They landed the boat at the Beach, by the Migrator. Triskelle commented that that ship was Rockhopper’s ship. Penguins, many of whom were walking around with nothing but Santa hats, gave them odd looks. They shot odd looks back at them, because they couldn’t help it. There was so many penguins, running to and fro, decorating the town. While Triskelle, Theangel Amdir went to the Dojo to try to convince the USA to ready their defences, Lasaralyn and Arvan decided to wander around.

Lasaralyn’s Adventure
Lasaralyn wandered into the coffee shop, and sat down on one of the couches. A barista came up to her and asked her what she would like.

“I’ll have a cup of tea, thank you.” She said.

The barista went to fetch the tea. When he came back, he used the coffee emote and handed her the tea, which completely dumbfounded her.

“What sort of new devilry is this?” She enquired.

“It’s Numberry.” He replied.

“No, no, not the tea. That thing, above your head, when you talk. And the picture of the coffee!”

“Oh. That’s called an emote. And this thing is called a text box. They are beta-testing them here in Club Penguin. Are you from around here?”

“Quite strange rather. No, I’m not from around here, I’m from Freezeland. Well, I used to be. I used to be Queen, that is, until the Civil War began.”

“I’m sorry. My parents were from Freezeland, so I pay attention to Freezelandian news. I should have recognized you, your majesty.”

“It’s probably these old, tattered, clothes. Where can one find some new garments around here?”

“Why, at the gift shop, of course. But, they only accept coins. The coffee is on the house, by the way.”

“Coins? I’m afraid I have none. How do people make money around here?”

“Mini-games. There’s a severe lack of employment here. You can play ‘bean counters’ here or there is other games throughout the island. But, since you’re new, and you’re a Queen, I’ll give you 1000 coins. Use them well!”

“Thank you for everything. I’m off to buy some new clothes. Wonderful shop you have here! Happy Christmas!”

“You’re welcome! You too!” Said the barista, as Lasaralyn exited the coffee shop.

Lasaralyn entered the gift shop and looked around at all the unique items. She was happy; since she only had a few dirty outfits with her. She got a few new outfits, including a festive dress for Christmas. Little did she know that in Club Penguin, they had a system called membership? She went up to the desk and the clerk rang them through.

“Player card, please.” Said the clerk.

“Here you are.” Lasaralyn said. She handed her the clerk her Freezelandian player card.

“One problem here, ma’am. You aren’t a member.”

“Okay.” Said Lasaralyn, not knowing how to reply.

“Well, you can’t buy anything then.”

“Why not?”

“You are not a member!”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t buy anything.”

“Why not? Who are YOU to tell ME what I can and cannot buy!?!?” Yelled Lasaralyn.

“YOU. ARE. NOT. A. MEMBER.”

“What’s a member?”

“Oh my gosh…” Sighed the clerk, as she face palmed.

The clerk let her have the items, because she couldn’t take any more of Lasaralyn’s cluelessness. She happily placed them in her inventory and thanked the clerk.

Mwa Mwas
Afterwards, Lasaralyn went to see the Christmas decorations, so she went to the plaza. Lasaralyn waddled into the pet shop, and would never forget what she saw.The place was full of Mwa-Mwa Penguins! Full grown penguins, rolling around on the floor, pretending to be chicks! They were crying, screaming, cooing, saying “was thrown out of speeding car”, “is wittle angel”, “is wittle miss cp”, and “dreams of a mammy”. They all looked at her when she walked in, with their big eyes.

A yellow girl penguin, wearing blue earmuffs, a blue shirt, bunny slippers, and carrying a stuffed bear, latched onto her short High Penguin leg.

“has never had mammy”

“Um.. you obviously did, otherwise you wouldn’t be alive.” She said.

“looks up with big ice blue eyes”

“Your pupils are…. Unnaturally big. Have you been at the cactus juice?”

“tank woo! gigglez”

“You’re welcome? That wasn’t a compliment…”

“wugz leg.”

“woo iggy mama”

“Get off me you bat!”

“eyes well up with tears and wets go of pwetty ladys leg”

She crawled away and tumbled into a puffle bed, where she proceeded to cry and scream. Lasaralyn turned around to see a worker closing the shop for the night, locking the doors.

“Oh no.”

A light blue coloured boy penguin, with red hair, a clown outfit, and a paddleball crawled up to her.

“hwi”

“Goodness gracious me!”

“gives flower”

“I’m allergic to daisies, you nit.”

Lasaralyn lit the flower on fire and the boy watched as the ashes crumbled onto the ground. The mwa mwa used the depressed face emote, and Lasaralyn walked up to the door, only to find out it was locked from the outside.

“By the power of the fire amulet, give me strength!”

The baby blue penguin crawled up to her again.

“tumbles up toward lady”

“What do you want?”

“has never been pwicked”

“I can see why.”

“dreams of a rich mammy”

“Dream on, kiddo. You’re almost as tall as me.”

“wugz mammy leg”

Lasaralyn flung him off her leg (which took quite a bit of strength, since he was almost as big as she was), and he flew into a wall with a loud THUMP. He started crying, which came as no shock. More babies came up to her, harassing her. She started frantically trying to get out. She tried screaming, but no one could hear her for all the cries of:

“is wittle miss cp”

“is smallest and cutest in cp”

“is best pookie”

“sits in pink basket”

“wolls around”

“tumbles in!”

“Giggles Strawberry Bubbles Of Dove!”

“cuddles with elmo doll”

“dreams of mammy”

“cant talk yet” (this was probably the stupidest thing she had heard anyone say in a while)

“lays in hospital blanket”

“chews toesies” (“What’s a toesie?” She thought.)

“was thrown out of speeding car”

“needs tum tum”

The penguin that said “needs tum tum” immediately vanished. Lasaralyn knew he had been banned, so she snickered. She now had a migraine headache, from all the crying, screaming, whining, and baby talk.

They began to come up to her. Soon, twenty mwa maws were cornering her, all wanting her to adopt them. She had but one choice; she had to use her amulet. Lasaralyn grasped her amulet, and swooped her leg, sending a wave of fire in front of their faces.

They stopped in their tracks and started crying, scared of the fire. She took one of their rattles, which made that particular one cry even louder, and broke the top end off. Lasaralyn melted the end bit with the fervent heat of her amulet, and moulded it into the shape of the key. She used the key to unlock the door, and she quickly ran out and slammed the door.

“Phew. I should have gone with Triskelle.” She sighed in relief.

It is because of this incident, that Freezeland became a Mwa-Mwa-banning country.

Arvan’s Adventure
Arvan waddled about the island, eying the strange penguins. He was taking notes for his magazine, The Truth, about this “server” and “membership” conspiracies. Arvan waddled up the lighthouse steps, where he could view the whole Island, when he noticed he was terribly hungry. He spotted the Pizza Parlour, and decided he would go eat there. Arvan used his amulet to quickly glide there. Normally, penguins were shocked when they saw him flying, but not here. This was probably because of the other penguins flying around on jet packs.

He landed in the plaza, in front of the Pet Shop. The owner was just closing up. Pity, he would have liked to go in and see the strange, exotic, creatures they sold in this town. He waddled into the pizza parlour and found an empty table. This was extremely hard to do and required quite a bit of patience and speed, since there were only three tables with two chairs each, and there were quite a few penguins in the restaurant.

The waiter walked up to the table.

“Hi! How can I help you? Can I start you off with a drink?”

“Yes… I’ll have a… bottle of O’Berry Juice.”

“Are you sure? That stuff is very hot.”

“I’m sure, Mr. Interviewer.”

“No need to get do defensive, I’ll be right back.”

While he was waiting for his juice, he decided he would have a seaweed and marshmallow pizza, because they had no plum (his favourite food). The service was slow, so he relaxed and enjoyed the music. Just then, a mugger burst in through the doors.

“All right, give me the money!” He yelled.

Arvan walked up to him and snickered.

“What do you want, you fruitcake? I’m robbing the restaurant!”

“Your stance is horrible.”

“What?”

“Your stance, it’s weak. Someone could easily knock you over.”

Arvan knocked him over and took his weapon, a hockey stick.

“Here, do it like this.”

Arvan showed him a better stance. He walked outside with him and they sat on the curb.

“Actually, you don’t look like the ‘mugger’ type. Why don’t you rethink what you are doing?”

“I’m horrible at all the mini-games and there are no good jobs here. I want to be a tour guide, but I haven’t passed the test.”

“Have you taken the test?”

“Well, no, but…”

“How long have you lived here?”

“5 years, since the beta party.”

“Then you probably know a lot about the island. Take the test, you will pass it.”

“Really? You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Wow, I’ve never had anyone believe in me before…”

“It is good to believe in oneself, but to have someone else believe in you is even better.”

“Thanks. You know what? Here, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, actually. I am the writer of The Truth magazine, and I’d like some information on your town and its ways. What is a ‘server’, for example?”

“I’d be happy to help.”

And so they sat, there on the curb, Arvan taking notes on Club Penguin’s society from a soon-to-be Tour Guide.

Chapter Seventeen: Official Government Business
Triskelle, Amdir, and Theangel went up to the Dojo. There, inside the Dojo, a top secret meeting of delegates from every state was being held there. There were two strong Ninja guards standing outside the wooden doors.

“Stop! We can’t let you in today.” Said the one on the left.

“Why not?” Asked Theangel.

“Official Government business.”

“We have very important news, concerning Freezeland.”

“Freezeland? Those traitors?”

Triskelle cleared his throat.

“Oh, right. My apologies. Very well, go on in.” Said he, as they opened the doors.

“But Freezeland used to be one of our greatest allies! How do we know that they don’t just have a corrupt government?” Said one of the delegates.

“This is how you know, representatives. I am Triskelle, former King of Freezeland. This is Theangel, formerly known as Darktan, and this is Amdir, the Ranger from Archet.”

“We know who you are, traitor, but it seems that your presence has gone unnoticed.” Said the same delegate.

“The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Sensei. Where are the bureaucrat’s manners?”

“That, I do not know. Please tell us why you are here. We would like to know.” Sensei responded, in his singsong, poetic voice.

“Amluc Riam, Prime Minister of Freezeland, is actually Malcur, the Dark Lord of myth and legend.”

“That’s impossible!” Chimed in another politician.

“No, it is not. Remember me, Darktan?” Said Theangel.

“Yes, but I thought you were he.”

“I was only ensnared under his evil powers of darkness, just as the nations of Freezeland, Dorkugal, and Archet. Listen, evil Lord or not, he plans to strike here; hard and fast.”

Amdir walked up to the table where the politicians were sitting and put a map of Malcur’s battle plan on the table.

“Look. Malcur will strike from all sides. From the tip of the peninsula, the coasts of Eastshield, Pengolia, and Trans-Antarctica, and the borders of the Happyface State. This will start on New Year’s Day, and it will not last long if you do not ready yourselves. I know you are weakened by the Pie War still, but you must hearken to us! Open war is upon you; whether you would risk it or not.”

Eventually, after hours of debating, the delegates from the South Pole Council decided they would prepare the defences. USA soldiers would guard the Trans-Antarctic and Eastshield borders, Fish slappers would defend Pengolia, and Ninjas and the High Penguins would defend CP.

Triskelle, Amdir, Theangel, and Arvan would set out to fight Malcur, while Lasaralyn, Elessar, Luce, and Will would stay behind and lead the defence forces. This absolutely enraged Lasaralyn; she couldn’t bear being away from her husband. She tried following them, but they told her to go back.

Chapter Eighteen: Opacus
They left on Christmas Day. The four of them were given snowmobiles, and they set down the peninsula. They travelled for a week, until they came to the Mountain of Pico, in Trans-Antarctica. It was home to an abandoned Sroot mine. Meanwhile, in Club Penguin, the Battle had begun.

Elessar looked out the telescope on the lighthouse. He saw many ships on the horizon, bearing the Freezelandian flag.

He radioed into Sensei, who was in charge of the defenses.

“I don’t think that’s the migrator.”

Rockhopper kept his ship docked, but fired his cannon at the ships. They were Freezelandian, so they would be hard to sink. Elessar equipped a jetpack and flew over the water where they were sailing.

“By the power of the winter’s cold, I command thee, tide, freeze!” He yelled, grasping his amulet. The water from where he was to the beach was frozen. The words were unnecessary, but he thought it would be fun to say that. Many ships froze in the water, so penguins had to hop out of the boats and waddle to the beach. The ice caused many of them to slip.

The company drove their snowmobiles up the mountain. They needed to reach the peak of Mt. Pico, so they could observe the icy plain below to see where Malcur was. Just then, a black figure appeared in front of them. It knocked them off their snowmobiles.

The wispy, cloudy, shadow figure turned its dark head at them. He floated down to the ground, and transfigured himself into penguin form.

“Good day. I assume you know who I am?”

“Opacus! Be gone! Back to the abyss from whence you came!” Shouted Triskelle.

“Oh, Triskelle. Always one for poetics. But readers don’t want that nowadays. They want excitement, not filler.”

“Quit breaking the fourth wall, Opacus.”

“Okay, I will. Prepare to die!”

Opacus sent forth a ball of purple energy aimed at Triskelle, but he blocked it with a ball of water from his water pouch. Amdir grabbed his spear and Arvan cast off his coat and grabbed his amulet. Theangel grabbed the Shadow Amulet and ran up to Triskelle.

Opacus sent a wall of snow hurtling towards the group, which covered them. They got out before Opacus could send another ball of Shadow. Triskelle used a whip of water to knock Him down, and Theangel sent a ball of Shadow at him. Opacus only absorbed Theangel’s attacks, making him stronger.

Arvan stepped in front of them, making eye contact with Opacus.

“Go! This foe is beyond all of you! He is impervious to our magic.” He said.

Arvan tossed his amulet to Triskelle, who seemed to be the only one who understood what Arvan was doing. Opacus smiled.

Arvan took one last look at his fleeing friends, and pulled out his dagger.

“So that’s how you want to go about it? Very well, I will not fight you with magic.” Said Opacus.

Triskelle watched as Arvan fought Opacus. After a heated battle, Opacus pushed Arvan off the cliff, only hanging on by a flipper. Arvan only uttered one more word; “Go”. Triskelle ran, weeping for his friend at the same time. Arvan still held on, by one flipper, which he used to grab Opacus’ foot. They both fell down the side of the mountain, only to live on in memory and what traces they left of their life.

Chapter Nineteen: The Pico Stair
While the invaders tried to break the ice around their ships (to no avail), the local militias were called. At the dock, penguins wearing green calling themselves “ACP”, red penguins calling themselves “UMA”, and other smaller armies circled around Luce. They looked at each other aggressively.

Luce cleared her throat.

“Ahem! You have been called here to aide in the defence of your town. As you may know, an army of thousands of Freezelandian soldiers are attacking the Island. We are outnumbered. But, with the legendary precision of Club Penguin’s Militias, combined with the valour of Freezelandians, the magic of High Penguins, and the hardiness of Sroots, they would be outmatched! What say you?”

No one did anything. They just stared fiercely at one another, clenching their flippers and fingering their hockey sticks and electric guitars. A cannonball from one of the Freezelandian ships landed in front of Luce, and it almost hit her.

“Put aside your differences. Go back to your wars after this one, for it affects us all. I have no business in your affairs between each other, but listen! If Club Penguin is captured, you will all be forced to join Malcur’s army! He will permit no such debate as yours, for it would cause strife and rebellion in his new Kingdom. Please, fight with us!” Luce said.

The generals each looked at each other, and then the general from ACP put a flipper on her shoulder.

“We fight.” He said.

They made snowballs, and took positions around the Island. Luce stayed at the dock, with the Orange Team.

Lasaralyn, however, was still mad. She was in the fire dojo, muttering to herself.

“What nerve! I can fight just as well as he can… I still won’t understand why Triskelle wouldn’t let me go!”

Sensei waddled up to her.

“Now, Lasaralyn, it is the time for battle. Get ready to fight.”

She looked up at him.

“Oh, I’m ready alright...”

All across the USA, everyone was getting ready. In Eastshield, penguins made snowballs and put on makeshift armour. In Pengolia, huge fish were being passed out. In Trans-Antarctica, soldiers filled their snowball guns and made defensive positions.

From the top of Mount Pico (combined with the High-Penguin’s keen eyes), Triskelle could see the beach where Malcur planned to land his ships. It was quite far away, and they needed rest. The snowmobiles were wrecked, ever since Opacus’ wall of snow knocked them off the side of the mountain. From here on out, they travel on foot.

Mount Pico was strange in the fact that one side of the mountain was straight and triangular, but the other side was almost completely flat, except for a long, winding staircase, that led down to a tall forest. Their only choice was to climb down the stair and find their way through the forest to the broad plain that led from the Ocean to the Mountains.

“These stairs are old… and very full of memory. Look at the carvings in them! A flame, the sun, the moon, a wave, a curl, a gust of wind, an icicle…” Remarked Theangel.

“Look at the runes! Triskelle, can you read them?” Said Amdir.

“No, I cannot. It’s some dialect of Valnorian that I do not speak. I’ve seen it before, but I’ve never been able to read it. Wait a tick… these are High Penguin made, not Srootish!” He replied.

“Yes, you’re right,” Said Theangel. “There must have been a High Penguin fortification here, after the Sroots lived here. I speak many tongues and dialects and can read many letters, but this; this is a strange, distorted version of Valnorian that seems foreign to me.”

“Yes, they may be High Penguin made, but we cannot tarry. We will investigate in merrier times. For now, we must reach the woods down there.” Said Triskelle.

About an hour later, they reached the bottom of the stair. The treetops were higher than they expected, and there were trees of sorts that none of them had ever seen. The trees were grey, tall, and mystical, and they almost seemed to be magical. Triskelle reckoned these trees had to be here long before High Penguins migrated to Antarctica.

They slept in the tangling roots of one of the trees. None of them got much sleep, out of their grief and the discomfort of the roots. But, something made Amdir wary. He would not bury this premonition within himself, so he kept his eyes open.

It was summer, but under the thick leaves it was dark. Theangel tossed and turned, while Triskelle lay silently with his flippers folded on his chest. Amdir was still awake, fearing what was still to come.

Chapter Twenty: Cel-Adroth
Triskelle awoke and sprung up. “We should never have taken this route! They are coming.” He whispered.

Triskelle grabbed his things quietly and gestured for Amdir to grab his too. They would awake Theangel in a minute. Triskelle stood up, and felt an arrow brush up against the side of his head.

“Daro artol, hy nhefead dar bhfeadna gallar nos breadth!” Said a voice, in a rare Valnorian dialect that was difficult for Triskelle to understand.

“Please, lower your weapons. We are passer-by’s, off to fight the evil Malcur, called in the Valnorian tongue Sydfhon.” Triskelle replied.

“What is it? What did they say?” Said Amdir.

“That the sleeping one snores so loudly, he could hear him a mile away.” Triskelle answered.

“Outsiders.” Said the voice again. “I see your intent, but we cannot allow you through this wood. Triskelle, na Círdan.”

“How do you know my name?” Triskelle replied. He could now tell there were at least four of them, and they were Valnorian High Penguins.

The penguin stepped into the light of Triskelle’s lantern. Triskelle immediately recognized him; he was Galadhon, the penguin who had taught him sword fighting.

“Galadhon! It’s been years. I thought you were dead!”

“Nay, my friend. When the Khanzem came about, many of us fled here, to this wood; justly named Cel-Adroth, safe place. There already was a community of Valnorians that had lived here since before Sydhfon’s first defeat. They welcomed us and we have lived here ever since. They speak an ancient tongue of Valnorian, but we still remember the way of the modern world. But, I cannot allow you to leave here; it is against our laws for one to pass our borders and return. I am sorry.”

“I beseech you, give us passage!”

“I will bring you to the Queen Fanuidhol. Her judgement will be sufficient. Surely you have heard of her in song, or in tale?”

“Yes, I have. ''A fair maid there was of old, a shining star by day: her mantle white was hemmed with gold, her shoes of silver-grey. A star was bound upon her brows; a light was upon her hair. As sun upon the golden bows, in Cel Adroth the fair''. That is all I remember of her ballad. Now, wake my companion, Theangel Anator, and please untie Amdir, the Dufflepud. He may be half, but he bears the Spear of Finwë, and is destined for the throne of Archet. We must make haste, for if Sydfhon reaches your borders, your defences will not be enough to hold.”

They woke Theangel, and untied Amdir, who didn’t trust them.

“Now, Triskelle, what news do you bring? Tell me of the current affairs of the world…” Said Galadhon.

They set off down the path with haste, while Triskelle briefed Galadhon on what had happened in the past hundred years.

Admiral Theo Connelly stood on the deck of the HMS Royal Avenger. He watched while his crewman tried to free the ship from the thick ice caused by Elessar’s amulet. Then, he realised something. The ice was thick enough to waddle on! The ice stopped a few metres away from the shore, but it was shallow enough to wade there.

“Stop breaking the ice!” He yelled. “Grab your weapons, and just waddle on the ice!”

“But, sir, we’ll slip!” Chimed in one soldier.

“Do as I say!”

“Yes, sir!” Said all the soldiers.

Elessar realised what he had done; he had held them off for a bit, but now they were coming in on foot. If only he knew where Lasaralyn was, then she could melt the ice before they could get in.

“Las! Where are you? I need your help!” He cried, searching for her.

Lasaralyn was coming down the Ski Hill. He ran up to her as fast as he could.

“Las! I need your help. Grab a jetpack, and do as I say.”

“What do you need?”

“Just come with me.”

Elessar gave her a jetpack, and they both flew over the ice-barrier. About half of the soldiers from the Royal Avenger were on the ice, waddling towards the island.

“On my mark, melt as much of the ice as you can!” He said.

They swooped down in front of the first line of soldiers. Elessar gave her a hand signal, and with a deep breath, she breathed out hot flames, melting the ice. The penguins on the ice fell into the deep, cold, water.

“Hurray!” Said Elessar and Lasaralyn.

Elessar had another idea. He used the ice amulet to freeze the penguins that were already in the water, so they would be stuck.

The Admiral yelled. His first squadron of troops was now frozen! At least his ship was no longer frozen, he thought. The ship broke through the thin layer of ice, and the other ships did the same thing.

The boats landed on the beach, and immediately the fight began. Penguins threw snowballs and other projectiles at them, while the other ships attacked the other sides of the Island. Luce led at the dock, Elessar at the beach, Lasaralyn at the Cove, Will Whitefoot at the ski hill, and Sensei fought in the Ski Village. The Freezelandian Remnant, the Archetian Rangers, the Ninjas, and the citizens of Club Penguin all fought Malcur’s army.

Triskelle reckoned a day had passed since Mount Pico. They waddled quickly through the forest, until they came to a city. The houses were carved out of Trees, the buildings were carved out of trees, and the tree in the centre had a long, winding, covered staircase leading to a platform at the top of the tallest tree.

“Behold! The High Penguin city of Cerin Varnimelda! See that tree in the centre of the town? That is our destination. It is home to King Mellyrn the wise, and Queen Fanuidhol, the fair. It is the tallest tree in Antarctica, and they dwell on the top. Come, we climb the steps.” Said Galadhon.

As they climbed the stairs, it got brighter and brighter. The air in Cerin Varnimelda was dim, like the light right before Sunrise, almost silvery. In the tree, there were hollowed out holes, where penguins lived. Galadhon told them that this was the closest place to Valnor in all of Antarctica. The penguins there were tall and fair; Triskelle could tell they were all pure-blooded High Penguins. Most of them had never seen a Dufflepud before, so they looked at Amdir strangely.

When they reached the top, they went into a wooden palace. The palace stood on top of the tallest tree, where they could see for miles and miles. The palace had a great gaping opening, with leaves inscribed above the entrance. The inside of the palace was lit by dim white lights, but the sunlight shone in so the light was silver once again. They went along many corridors and many more stairs, until they reached an oval shaped chamber.

The room had many thrones, all of which were empty except for two at the end of the room. There were two thrones; one of silver, one of gold. The two penguins sitting in them stood up, as is the custom of High Penguins, to greet their guests. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less than the Lord; and they were grave, yet beautiful. They were clad wholly in white; and the feathers of the lady were deep gold, and of the Lord were bright silver.

Galadhon led Amdir before them, then Triskelle, then Theangel. They nervously approached the silent nobles.

Then, the Lord spoke. “Come, sit near me, outlanders. When all have come we will speak together.”

They sat on chairs by them, Amdir and Triskelle next to the Lord, and Theangel and Galadhon next to the Lady. The other chairs in the room filled up with other penguins in the chairs around the oval room. The Lord greeted each of them by name. When they were all seated, the Lord stood and spoke again.

“Welcome, son of Ulmos! Too seldom do our Western kindred come hither. Welcome, Theangel Anator. Many years have you walked with your burden, and those years lie heavy on you. Rest here, you are safe. Welcome, Amdir, of Archet! It is long indeed since we have had dealings with the other folk. But today we have broken our long law and have allowed you into our dominion. Hear, O Cel-Adroth that it may be a sign unto you, that though the world is now dark, our days are at hand, and that friendship shall be renewed between our peoples and the outside world. Come, you have not spoken to me of your deeds or purpose. Speak of them, and of your business in this realm.”

“Well, your majesty…” Said Amdir.

The lady interrupted. “Tonight you will sleep in peace, let not your hearts be troubled. Do not worry for your friends, they will be safe for now, unless you fail in your quest.”

“You know of our quest?” Asked Theangel.

“Yes, I have read it in your eyes. I shall explain it to this council in my tongue. For now, go and rest.”

“Yes, m’lady.” Said Triskelle.

Galadhon led them to a house inside the tree. There was food and water, three beds, and a proper bathroom. They didn’t worry about what was going on in other places, it was almost as if their worries had melted away.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Siege of Club Penguin
The ships had broken through the second layer of ice. Luckily, most of the penguins were still frozen, bobbing along in the ocean. Luce sat on the snow with her eyes closed, trying to bring up as much energy as possible before they reached the shore. The penguins in the Hydro Hopper, the Aqua Grabber, and the Migrator, went out into the water and fired their cannons at the oncoming ships. The Aqua Grabber pinched holes in the bottoms of a few of the Ships, but it was too late, they had reached the shore. The Hydro Hopper was sunk and the Migrator was boarded, forcing Rockhopper to surrender.

The Ships landed at the Beach, the Dock, and the Cove. The gangplanks were deployed, and off them came hundreds of troops. The Militias barraged them with a volley of snowballs, causing many to fall off into the water. They fired their snowballs over and over, but they kept coming. More and more ships landed.

Lasaralyn was at the Cove. She stood on the shore, along with a host of High Penguin mages.

“Alright, we must be deadly precise. We are going to light the Ships on fire!” She said to them.

They used fire spells to light the first ship on fire, and then they moved over to the next. They sent balls of fire and flames shooting to the other ships. Most of the ships were on fire now, but however they landed in time to get their troops off.

On the top of the Lighthouse, Archetian Rangers fired Ditto-laced arrows at the oncoming invaders, while the Ninjas shuffled their Card-Jitsu decks on the Beach. The Freezelandian soldiers fired back, though for the most part they missed the quick and agile warriors.

The Freezelandians pressed on. They were starting to regroup at the shore, where they made rallied and charged forward in a line position. The Penguins carrying shields went in front, while the ones in behind threw snowballs. The two converging armies were now equallly matched.

Triskelle awoke to the sound of a chorus singing. It was probably around dawn, since most of the lights in the houses were off. He couldn’t tell in the lighting of this realm.

“When evening in Cel-Adroth was grey, his footsteps on the Mount were heard; before the dawn he went away, on journey long without a word.” Sang the choir. The music made Triskelle sad, because he knew they were lamenting for Arvan. Triskelle looked out to the carved doorway, and saw Amdir there, sitting silently.

“You would remember your own strength better if you slept.” Said Triskelle softly, as he sat down next to him.

“There is hope left, but I do not see it. I give hope to others; but I cannot find it myself.” Said Amdir.

“Look in the mirror, Amdir. You are our hope. Being in the presence of Opacus has darkened your thought; this I see. But know this; Arvan’s death was not in vain. We could not know his full purpose in life, and nor do we know why he allowed himself to perish.”

“..A-allowed himself?”

“I believe it so. I know him. He was strange, yes, but strong. He could have saved himself, but Arvan knew what he was doing.”

They sat quietly for many minutes, while the fair voices of the choir sang in Valnorian.

Amdir finally broke the silence.

“What are they saying?”

“I cannot say, for I do not wholly know myself. The grief is yet too near.”

“You look to me to set things tight; to see the glory of Archet. But I do not know how.”

“Have you ever seen Freezeland? Ithil Pathred Minassë? Glimmering like a spike of silver and sapphire… Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of brass trumpets?”

“I saw your city, long ago…”

“One day our paths will lead us there. And the tower guard shall take up the call ‘The Lords of Freezeland and Archet have returned!’.”

“You are wise, but I do not understand what you are implying.”

“My wisdom comes from experience. Alas! The hour is late; Theangel shall be awake soon, and Galadhon shall report to us of what was spoken in the court of King Mellyrn and Queen Fanuidhol. Know this; I didn’t know what I was doing, either, but things worked out. The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife; stray but a little and it will fail. I kept on my path, and received the recompense for my deeds, for good and ill, and now you must walk your path.”

Triskelle got washed up and dressed himself in the garb of the folk of Cel-Adroth. Amdir stayed in his ragged Ranger clothes. Theangel woke up when Galadhon came to the door dressed in the elegant armour of Cel-Adroth’s marksmen.

“Late is the hour. Alas! Dark is the day when we must leave merry Cel-Adroth, but that hour is nigh. You must go out on your quest to defeat the evil one. If you permit, Dufflepud, we would send a host of warriors with you. It is the will of King Mellyrn and Queen Fanuidhol.” Said Galadhon.

“I permit it.” Replied Amdir.

Triskelle and Theangel put on some armour above their clothes, and were given swords and bows and arrows. Amdir kept his old clothes. They left the city of Cerin Varnimelda, and it was the last time Amdir gazed upon its beauty in his lifetime. The Freezelandian army was pushing back the defences. All across the USA, the battles raged. In Club Penguin, they had stormed the Beach and the Dock, but not the Cove just yet. Lasaralyn had used the Mwa Mwa Penguins as cannon fodder, and now most of them had been deleted by an elite squadron (which made a lot of penguins smile).

Admiral Theo finally got off his ship. His ship was made of metal, so it didn’t burn. He stood on the dock watching, commanding, and yelling as his navy drove the Resistance back to the Town and the Ski Village. They were now deleting penguins, but they couldn’t delete many, Malcur’s orders. He wanted them to be his citizens, his slaves. Those willing to submit to him would be rewarded freedoms and those who could not be broken would be punished.

Using High Penguin magic, the Freezelandians put out the fire on the boats. They put the prisoners on the ships for now; so they wouldn’t get in their way.

Triskelle could see the bright light at the end of the forest. It hurt his eyes, because of the dimness of Cel-Adroth. His worries and cares seemed to come back; he remembered the troubles of the outside world. Galadhon stood in front of the party. He held up his flipper and they all stopped. He turned around to speak to them.

“You three,” He said, pointing to Triskelle, Amdir, and Theangel. “You may leave our dominion, but you are under one bond; that you do not expose our peaceful existence to the outside world. You are now under a hex. The hex is, that if you tell anyone that does not direly need to find our land about it, you will go mute for all of your days.”

“But what if we reveal it to our family or friends, because they desire safe haven?” Asked Theangel.

“Have you heard nothing I said? Only if you tell someone our location that does not direly need it. If they plead asylum, then tell them. You may tell of your adventures here to those who have the ears to hear; but you shall not reveal the location.”

They waddled passed the last few trees, and marvelled at what they saw. They looked at the broad, flat plain, of Trans-Antarctica. The mountains and the forest were behind them, the plain and the ocean in front of them. They could see for many leagues; they could see small towns and villages on the plain. They were on a high elevation, higher the plain, so they could see the rest of the state, all the way to the ocean. They saw smoke rising near the coast, metal and wooden ships docked, and hordes of penguins charging inland. There was a black cloud and a foul wind blowing in from that direction.

“That is the cloud that forms when great evil approaches. It was formerly in the mountains, in a land in that direction, but this is a greater and fouler evil. The wind that blows from that direction often smells of maple syrup. We march against the wind; onward now!” Said Galadhon. The land he was referring to was the Darktonian Realm, now the Province of Pastry.

The small army moved down the slope, onto the plain. They pressed on forward, towards the cloud, at the fastest speed possible. They had the blessing of Cel-Adroth upon them, so they were gifted temporarily with haste and bravery.

Luce stood on top of the Night Club, firing beams of light at Freezelandian soldiers, temporarily blinding them. Down below her, were the militias. Lasaralyn stood in the Plaza, burning the hordes with her amulet’s flames, along with the Fire Ninjas. Will Whitefoot hurled stones down the Ski Hill, while Elessar led the High Penguin swordsmen.

Elessar was coming around a corner fleeing a bunch of soldiers, when Will and some Archetian Rangers were standing on the porch of the Ski Lodge.

“Watch out!” Cried Will.

The Rangers sent a barrage of arrows hurtling towards the soldiers chasing Elessar, and Will Whitefoot sent a rock hurtling towards them. Elessar sighed out of relief.

But that didn’t turn the tide of battle. More and more troops moved in, pushing back the defence forces. The Ninjas managed to take out an entire battalion trying to sack the gift shop; but more soon came and forced them to call in reinforcements. The belts then came, and started hurtling cards at them. The cards weren’t that powerful, so they didn’t avail much. They eventually repelled the attackers from the gift shop, but it came at a price. Most of the store was wrecked; the racks knocked over, clothes torn, and wigs were left tattered. The store had to order an entirely new stock.

It was not the Freezelandian Army’s intent to destroy the shops or igloos; they were after Club Penguin’s citizens. They wanted to eradicate any resistance and break the will of the penguins living there.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Red Valley
The Trans-Antarctic plain was especially boring. There was nothing there; it was like Eastshield. All that was there was snow, ice, and the occasional village. The company made great time; they made it to the Red Valley, between three hills, before Malcur’s army could. Red Valley was the site of many battles in times long ago; it was named the Red Valley because of the blood spilled that tinted the snow reddish for many years.

“Now what, Galadhon?” Asked Triskelle.

“We wait.” He replied.

“Re-ealy?” Asked Triskelle sarcastically.

“Yes, really. Amdir will train here. It shall only be a day until Malcur’s army will be here. The USA’s army will retreat here, because they know the strategic advantages it holds.”

And so they set up a camp on the top of one of the hills. They melted snow for Triskelle to work with, and practiced fighting with Amdir. Amdir reckoned these were the only three hills for miles, but then Theangel told him he should focus on the task at hand and not on local geography.

The Plaza and the Ski Hill were overrun. Most of the penguins there were knocked unconscious and thrown into the boats. Now the only fighters left were in the Town. There were Lasaralyn, Luce, Elessar, Will, Sensei, a regiment of Rangers, a handful of High Penguins, a few loyal Freezelandians, a number of ninjas, and some of the snowball militias. The only part in the town that they held still was the town; they had retreated from the other areas. The army still fought hard, and kept them at bay for a while.

Soon, the Dark Cloud reached Red Valley. Galadhon explained that true evil`s power will only be at its best in miserable weather. A lorry sped down the plain into red valley. It stopped in front of the hill, and out poured a bunch of Antarctic Troops. The Captain waddled up to Galadhon and Triskelle and saluted them.

“Greetings, warrior. Why is your pace quickened?” Said Galadhon.

“Sir! The Freezelandian Army approaches, sir!” He said.

“Were you the only survivors?” Asked Triskelle.

“No, sir! We were just the first soldiers to get here, sir!”

“Ready yourselves for battle again, then.” Said Triskelle.

“Sir, yes, sir!” Said the soldier.

More and more soldiers soon filled the valley. The air got fouler and fouler, so they knew Malcur was near.

“They’ve got us flanked! Sensei, what will we do?” Cried Elessar.

“Then we must retreat. We can’t hold off any more. Into the Night Club!” Said Sensei in his poetic, yet commanding voice. Even in the midst of war, he spoke in haiku.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Yelled Lasaralyn.

“We can’t hold them off any longer! Retreat! Retreat! Into the Night Club!” Said Luce.

All that was left of the army fled into the Night Club. The Freezelandian forces poured into the town. They barricaded the doors of the Night Club with the speakers, luckily, the Freezelandians didn`t know about the secret, underground entrance through the boiler room.

A green puffle started making squeaking noises. They had taken his favourite speaker and turned the music off, so he was upset. He tugged on Will Whitefoot`s coattail to get his attention.

“Why, hullo, little puffle! I don`t have time to feed you now, I`m a bit busy.” He said to it.

The puffle squeaked again and hopped over to the hole that leads to the Boiler Room. Will Whitefoot had been to Club Penguin before, but he had forgotten about the underground.

“Why of course! Thank you, little puffle! Attention! There’s an underground Boiler Room, where we can escape. ” He said.

“Oh my! I forgot.” Said Sensei. “We must take the Underground; we can escape there.”

Elessar made a layer of ice on the barricade, and then they all went down the hole into the Boiler Room. From there, they went into the Underground Pool and into the Mine. They navigated through the caverns quickly, mainly because Will Whitefoot cleared a cave with his amulet, and then filled it back up with stone when they were finished, making it appear like no one had been there. They hid in the cave.

Finally, the Freezelandian Army started appearing. They were charging into the Valley, firing at the Antarctic soldiers. The warriors from Cel-Adroth fired their arrows, never missing. The Freezelandians charged down the hill fearlessly, but the arrows and snowballs kept them back. Victory was imminent, at this rate.

Triskelle, Amdir, and Theangel all stood behind the soldiers, preserving their strength. They knew Malcur was near, but they didn’t know where he was going to appear and when. Triskelle knew many of these Freezelandian soldiers, so he was reluctant to watch the battle. He just kept his eyes peeled for Malcur. No one seemed to notice them up there, all alone.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Spear of Finwë
The Freezelandian soldiers were starting to break through. The Antarctican Soldiers drew their icicle swords and prepared for melee combat. Malcur slowly waddled down towards the battlefield, towering over most of the soldiers. With one swoop of his iron mace, he could take out ten strong soldiers. He did just that. He knocked out many soldiers, before noticing Amdir, Triskelle, Theangel, and Galadhon surrounding him.

“Oh, hello, there.” Said Malcur.

“Be silent!” Shot back Triskelle. “Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through pain and trial to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!”

“No? Not in a good mood today, I see. What about you, Theangel? I see your lusts… You desire power, you desire worth.”

Triskelle put his flipper on Theangel’s shoulder. He could see Theangel’s pupils turning black.

“Theangel, do not heed his words; they are poison. Too long did he haunt your steps. But no longer; you are changed. Theangel, you are new. You use the shadow amulet for good. Do not let him corrupt you once again. I release you from his spell.” Said Triskelle. His pupils turned brown again.

“Very well, then you shall die as well. But know this; I do not want to spill pure blood. You all may repent of your treachery and join me.”

Malcur looked at Galadhon.

“What of you, guardian of Cel-Adroth? I shall keep your land protected and preserved if you swore allegiance to me.”

“When Antarctica boils over!” Replied Galadhon.

“Fine, the purity of your land will be spoiled and it will be on your head.”

“But here, Amdir, he is king material. If you serve me, you shall rule Archet. Shall we have peace?”

“Yes, we shall.” Said Amdir. The other three gasped.

“We shall have peace, when you answer to the sacking of Finwe’s Draw and Midgewater, and the invasion of Archet! When you pay back the lives that were ruined!” Amdir yelled.

“If we speak of poisoned tongues, what shall we say of Triskelle’s?” Said Malcur, and the flash of anger was now plain to see. “But come! To every man his part. Valour in arms is yours, and you win high honour thereby. Slay whom your master names as enemies, and be content. Meddle not in policies of which you do not understand. But maybe, if you become a king, you will choose your allegiances carefully. The friendship of Malcur and his power cannot be easily trodden asunder, whatever grievances, real or fancied, may lie behind. But am I to be called a murderer for valiant penguins slain in battle? If you go to war, needlessly, for I did not desire it that any would be slain. But if I am a murderer on that account, then all the house of Círdan, the line of Triskelle, is stained; for they have assailed many who defied them. Yet with some afterwards they made peace; none the worse for being politic. I say, shall we have peace then, Triskelle? Join me.”

“I fear your voice has lost its charm.” Replied Triskelle. “You’re a liar, Malcur, and a corrupter of hearts. When you hang from a gibbet to make sport of the skuas, we shall have peace.”

“Gibbets and skaus!” He hissed and then turned to Amdir. “What is the house of Archet but a thatched barn where rangers drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among their filthy puffles? Too long have they escaped the gibbet themselves. But the noose comes to them, slow in the drawing, long and hard in the end. Hang if you will!”

Now his voice changed, as he slowly mastered himself.

“I know not why I have had the patience to speak with you. For I need you not, nor your little band of archers and conjurers of cheap tricks. Long ago I offered you a state beyond your merit and wit. (He was referring to when Malcur almost turned Triskelle evil, during the Khanzem, after Finwë died.) I have offered it again, so that those whom you may mislead may clearly see the choice of roads. Counsel with me.”

“What have you to say that you have not said to me before? Or perhaps, you have things to unsay?”

“Will you not call this battle off and counsel with me, Triskelle? I offer you a great opportunity. You can stop this bloodshed.”

So great was the power that Malcur exerted in the last effort that many stopped fighting to listen to him. But now this spell was wholly different. They heard the gentle remonstrance of a kindly king, not an evil emperor. Triskelle resisted and said nothing. He shook his head ‘no’. “You give me brag and abuse. So be it. Die now!” Malcur yelled.

Lasaralyn was sitting beside the hidden lake, tossing stones into the water. Would she meet her doom here? She was also concerned for her husband. She hung her head and cried.

“What’s wrong with her?” Said Elessar.

“She’s upset; hence the weeping.” Said Will Whitefoot.

“How will we escape? We can’t take the forest, because the cove is too heavily occupied.” She said.

“We can’t escape.” Said Elessar. “But I would go with you guys to whatever end.”

“Then what would you have us do?” Said a Ninja.

“Charge out of the mine and meet them in battle. It’s better than slowly dying in here, and much more honourable!”

“Yes!” Yelled Lasaralyn.

“Foolish battle; zero chance of survival? I’m in.” Said Will Whitefoot.

They all went back to the mine, and lined up in front of the door. They could hear the Freezelandians outside; they were still trying to break into the Night Club.

Elessar drew his icicle sword. Everyone grasped their weapons.

Elessar stood in front of them all.

“On my mark, charge! For wrath, now for ruin, and for vengeance! Charge!!!” He cried.

Everyone yelled battle cries, and followed Elessar out the door. They fought everyone in their path, catching the Freezelandians off guard. They made for the town, cutting a line in their path.

Malcur sent a jolt of powerful electricity through his flippers to the left side of Triskelle’s chest. The electricity travelled through his foot and he fell over and his eyes shut.

“No!” Cried Amdir, as he pulled the spear out of his inventory.

“The spear of Finwë!” Gasped Malcur.

Amdir stabbed the spear into his chest with great force. Everyone on every battlefield stopped what they were doing. Malcur looked him in the eye one last time. Malcur disintegrated into dust and a strong wind knocked over everyone in the battlefield. Malcur was dead.

The battles stopped. You see, Malcur had deceived the penguins of Freezeland by using spells in his speeches. After he died, the spell became void. In Club Penguin, the Freezelandians surrendered.

Amdir crawled over to Triskelle. Triskelle wasn’t dead; not yet, but he didn’t have much time left. Amdir remembered the Mayor of Shiverpool had given Triskelle. Hopefully, it would work.

Amdir reached into Triskelle’s pocket and grabbed his player card. He found the phial of 100% Pure Shiverpoolian Fish Oil and grabbed it out. He poured a few drops onto his chest, and another few onto his foot.

Triskelle lay there for a few minutes. Theangel and Galadhon both sat and watched as Amdir tried to heal him. Triskelle opened his eyes and coughed. He then said in a hushed tone “He can’t kill me that easily, I’m too stubborn.”

Amdir leaped up. “He’s better! He’s better!”

Triskelle remembered little of the journey back. He knew they were bore upon helicopters, but he kept passing out and when he was conscious he usually slept.

When Triskelle came to himself, he was alone. He was lying on a couch in a cozy room, and no one was in the room with him. He looked out the window to see mountains. It was a cloudless, yet unusually cold day. He was shaking, and as chilled as stone, but his head burned like fire.

“Now I wonder what has happened?” He said to himself. “At any rate I am not yet one of the fallen heroes; but I suppose there is still time enough for that!”

He sat up painfully. Looking out the window, he could see no one. All he could see was tattered banners, rubbish here and there, and signs of struggle in the snow. After his head cleared a little, he thought he could see High Penguins clad in Freezelandian mail. He rubbed his eyes.

“Victory after all I suppose!” he said, feeling his aching head. “Well, it seems a very gloomy business.”

Suddenly, he was aware of someone climbing up the ladder leading into the room.

“Hullo there!” Called Triskelle with his shaky voice. “Hullo there!”

“Well I’m blessed!” Said the penguin. “Triskelle’s awake!” He cried joyfully. It was Amdir.

“Amdir!” Exclaimed Triskelle.

“Are you very much in pain?” Amdir asked.

“A nasty knock on the head, I think. But I have a hard skull. All the same I feel sick and my limbs are like straws.”

“Let me get the others!” Said Amdir, as he ran down the stairs. Triskelle now realized he was in the Ski Lodge, in the attic.

It wasn’t long before the whole couch was crowded, and around him stood all the keepers.

When Elessar saw Triskelle, he was delighted. He stood with his flipper in a sling; for there were few who were unmarred.

“Well I never!” Elessar exclaimed. “Alive after all – I am glad! We’d barely left your side! A terrible business it was here, and it was nearly disastrous. Amdir’s told us of your adventure, and we shall tell you of ours.”

“Other news can wait, Elessar.” Said Luce.

Elessar sighed and slouched over, putting his flippers in his pockets. Lasaralyn waddled up to him and slapped him in the face.

“You…you stupid, vile, repulsive, monstrous, imbecile! You… you left me here to DIE! I could have been killed! ‘’You’’ could have been killed! Just for the sake of one of your stupid quests…” She said, and she stormed out of the room.

“That’s normal for her; she’ll turn up in an hour or two.” Laughed Triskelle. “Here, help me up.”

They helped Triskelle up and handed him a cane. At first it was hard to stand, but he managed to be able to after a while. He waddled to the Lighthouse, where the Admiral was.

“Hail, Triskelle!” Said he.

On the stage, there indeed lay Admiral Theobald Murray Connolly, wounded with many wounds. His rent armour and notched sword lay upon the floor. He looked up as Triskelle limped up to him.

“Farewell, merciful King.” Said the Admiral. “I go now to wander forevermore, as a ghost. Since I leave now all my gold, silver, power, and penguins, and they are no longer of worth to me, I wish to part in friendship from you. I would take back my words and fell deeds, if you would allow my forgiveness.”

“Farewell, Admiral!” Replied Triskelle. “This is a bitter adventure if it must end with so much evil; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your company in days before you were subdued under the evil one’s spell. I would allow it.”

“There is more good in you than you know, kindly child of the firstborn. Courage and wisdom blended in measure. If more valued virtue and cheer and song, rather power and hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must depart it now. Farewell!” And so spoke the last words of Freezeland’s finest Admiral. He was kind and wise; but fell into the spell of Malcur in his latter days.

Triskelle would show mercy to all of those who did not will that they would turn evil. Indeed it was long before Triskelle had the heart to crack a joke again.

“A mercy it is,” He said to himself. “That I woke when I did, even at all. I wish all the lost were living, but I am glad we parted on good terms. You’re a fool, Triskelle Waterdouse, and you’ve made a great mess with those blasted stones. Never again will I be so blind to such evil. In spite of all your efforts to buy peace and quiet, I suppose I can hardly be blamed for that.”

All that had happened during Triskelle’s absence had stunned him, Triskelle learned later; but it gave him more sorrow than joy, and he was now weary of adventure. He was aching in his bones for home. That, however, was a little delayed, and news came of battles that had happened across Antarctica (before Malcur was slain).

The Sroots had long suspicions of Malcur’s presence; from their watchfulness the arrival of Malcur could not be hidden. They had prepared themselves for war, so their kept their defenses up and the two clans of the Mammoth Mountains were never attacked. So they gathered in great numbers when they heard a distress call from their Archetian brethren, they came speeding down the mountains to the aide of Archet in time to expel the invaders.

It was not long before the Archetian Sroots, High Penguins, Rangers, the Archetian militia, converged upon the Freezelandian army in the hills in the north of Archet. It was not long before they had liberated Archet and parts of Southern Freezeland. But even with the Sroots the Archetians were outnumbered. The USA hadn’t sent any troops into Archet because most of them had forgotten. The Archetian army pressed on to the lake of the three rivers, where the Jadis, the Charn, and the Severn meet. In the last hour, when victory was near, and the Archetians would have failed in liberating southern Midland, after Freezelandian reinforcements arrived, a host of warriors, mages, and archers from Arda came down the Charn river. They had freed Snowbourne, from Yeti down to the lake. They flanked the Freezelandian army, and the Archetian-Sroot-Ardan army was victorious. They didn’t cross the river; because the Freezelandian army surrendered (at that time, Malcur was defeated). Things in other places were not as fortunate. In Eastshield, the USA suffered heavy losses. In Pengolia, the Freezelandians were driven back by fish-wielding berserkers. But in Club Penguin and Trans-Antarctica the hammer had fallen hardest. Malcur was slain in perfect timing, because if he hadn’t then the Freezeland would have prevailed over them.

By January 16th, almost everyone had gone home and reconstruction had started. Triskelle, Luce, Lasaralyn, Theangel, Will, Elessar, Amdir, and Galadhon (who had not returned to Cel-Adroth and had no intentions to just yet) all traversed to Frostborough.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Halls of Healing
The hosts of Freezeland, who had served good and evil, and Arda were on the march back to their homes. The Archetian soldiers and Rangers had returned to their homes and parted at the Combeway. The Mountain-Sroots had basically disappeared; no one knew where they went off to. The Royal Host marched on; and it was sadly lessened, yet many were glad, for the world would be merrier for many a long day. Malcur and Opacus; the most evil penguin and his crooked servant were dead, the corrupt Freezelandian government was overthrown, the Sroots had reappeared, the fabled realm of Cel-Adroth had been found, though no one dared seek it out again, the death of millions throughout the years was avenged. Their hearts looked forward to a prosperous new year. Amdir and the Keepers strode behind Triskelle, who’s banner was bore by Galadhon. In their very midst, an extraordinary thing had happened. The ghosts of the thousands who had lost their lives at Malcur’s flipper, whether directly or not, floated above and around them. Finwë floated forward in front of Triskelle. “Thank you, you all have proved the curses of Malcur void. The purpose of the Elemental Amulets has been fulfilled; the magic of the Ilùvat shall bud forth and bear fruits of peace and prosperity for years to come. My and many others deaths have been avenged. We are now free to be at peace, no longer to be cursed to wander the barren tundra.” He said, and everyone heard him in their native tongue. They stood in awe for the many spirits, which some were fading. “I, myself shall stay and linger as a ghost, coming and going as I please. I give you these gifts, all of you.” Said Finwë. To each penguin, they were given a gift. All of them could not be recorded in this story; but what is known is that Triskelle was given the final pouch of swimming pool water. Theangel was given a de-luminator, which could put out any light, and Lasaralyn was given an everlasting flame, that would never perish until she does. The ghosts faded away, except for a few. Finwë guided them on their journey back to Frostborough, leading the company silently, like a pillar of light. Frostborough was in shambles. Malcur had built walls around the city during the week of internment, but they were now rubble. Most buildings were damaged in some way, except for a few. Nothing a crew of Sroots couldn’t fix; if they would help them. Castle Fullmoon was painted black, with red pillars. Before the returning army arrived back, penguins ran to and fro trying to fix the ruins. Most things had returned back to normal.

Castle Fullmoon was too trashed for the monarchy to stay in, so they went to the Halls of Healing, which was across the River. It was an old building, dating back to the 1400s. From it sprung a tall, thin spire, like a spike of marble.

It was February. Most of Frostborough was rebuilt, except for parts of the Governmental District. Lasaralyn stood on the balcony on the top tower of the Halls of Healing, looking down at the lights of the city. It made her sad for all the destruction of the once kingly place. She was quickly recovering from her wounds. However, she was still mad at Triskelle. She felt as if he had abandoned her in a dangerous time.

The door behind her crept open. Lasaralyn didn’t notice. She felt a firm flipper on her shoulder; and it was blue.

“It seems as if all light has left this realm… This darkness seems to still prevail.” She said.

“It’s only the damp of a rare summer’s rain.” Triskelle replied.

Lasaralyn looked up at him with a blank expression.

“I don’t think it will last.” He said, smiling.

Lasaralyn wrapped her flippers around Triskelle’s chest.

“I’m sorry for being so mad at you,” She said. “I thought you had abandoned me…”

“Why not at all! In fact, my love, I wanted you to stay in Club Penguin because I knew you would be safe there. You are a great leader; they would have followed you to whatever end. If worse came to worst, then you could have escaped or surrendered. But I had faith that you would not allow Club Penguin to be breached. If you had pursued us, and things had gone ill, there would have been no escape for you.”

Lasaralyn began to weep.

“So you only wanted my safety? And you left me in Club Penguin because you knew I could be a good leader? Oh, I’m so sorry for being so unforgiving, so spiteful. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me… But if not, then I could understand why.” She said.

“There is nothing to forgive.” Triskelle whispered softly to her.