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Celeon stood in front of the Light Faerie and handed her
the Balthazar the Bounty Hunter trading card. She seemed to be extremely pleased.
She told him to wait as she went and retrieved the negg for him. He waited, but
it seemed like more half an hour passed before she returned. By now, he was starving.
He had not eaten in two days and he was famished.
"Here you go, Prince Celeon," the Light Faerie
said with a smile. She handed him the Faerie Easter Negg carefully. Her spare
hand was holding a wand. Celeon recognized it. It was the supernova wand. "You
will need this in your journey," she recommended, handing him the supernova
wand. "Be careful. There are many evil Neopets out there. The supernova wand
can help you protect yourself, but wit is the only true defense. Think before
you attack," she advised.
Celeon nodded in understanding and bid farewell.
The Light Faerie smiled and waved goodbye. He departed from the wheel of excitement
with a new energy inside of him. He had a supernova wand! This would surely
defend him from all monsters that threaten him. He went onto the streets of
Faerieland once more and walked into the shop named, 'Faerieland Foods'. He
purchased many Faerieland foods before he was finally bloated.
It was already sunset and Celeon knew that he
couldn't take a break. He decided to take the ship to Neopia Central and start
his search for the faeries that claim the third and fourth negg. He walked toward
the seaport and paid the trip price. He also rented a room and made himself
comfortable. Inside the room, he counted his Neopoints with a sigh. He only
had enough for two more trips. If he doesn't find the last two faeries in two
continents or less, he would have to go back to Meridell. He could not let that
happen.
The sky was now pitch black. The only landscape
outside the ship was water, dim gray from the lack of sunlight. He placed his
cloak aside and lay on his bed. He closed his eyes and started to dream into
a land far away from Meridell, where happiness stays forever more.
---
Celeon awoke to bright sunlight. He looked outside his door and found sunlight
streaking inside the hallway from an open door. Someone must've left the door
open. He wore his cloak and gathered his things. He left his room and started
to head onto the deck. It was then that he saw her.
She seemed to be his age, her fur white and
angelic. She had deep sea blue eyes, glimmering inside the sunlight. Her smile
was unremarkable, filled with innocence beyond words. She wore a long fur coat,
dragging onto the ground. It resembled her fur, so beautifully well kept and
clean.
He tried to say something, but his mouth went
dry. He wanted to move, but his legs wouldn't budge. His vision was unclear.
He only wished to see this beautiful female Lupe in front of him; nobody else
existed in his eyes.
The female Lupe turned her head and smiled at
Celeon. She walked over to him. He lost his heartbeat by then. "Hello, Prince
Celeon," she greeted, her voice soft. "Where are you heading on this ship?"
she asked, curious.
He wanted to say 'Wherever you're heading, my
lady,' but he reckoned that would be too lame. "I'm heading for Neopia Central,
and you?" he tried to say in a normal tone, but made a strange noise as he finished
speaking.
The female Lupe gave him a small laugh when
she heard the noise, "My name is Amelia. I'm heading for the Ice Caves, I've
got some business up there," she explained.
All Celeon could do was repeat the name in his
head over and over again, Amelia, Amelia, Amelia… He was sure he would be hypnotized
if he continued any longer. "Will you accompany me to Neopia Central first?"
he asked, surprised at his own bravery.
Amelia smiled. "I wish I could, but my boss
has requested me to be at the Ice Caves today, and I have no choice but to go,"
she confessed. Her dazzling eyes seemed sullen at the thought.
Celeon was disappointed, but glad that Amelia
seemed to like him. She seemed just as disappointed as he was that she could
not accompany him. "Maybe I can find you in the Ice Caves," he suggested. "How
long will you be staying there?" he asked, urgent to know.
"A week," she said, smiling, "approximately.
I hope to see you there," she told him, her eyes pointing toward Neopia Central.
The ship was already approaching the seaport. "Goodbye," she bid farewell to
Celeon as he departed. He seemed to be moving, but his heart was still inside
the boat. He wanted to stay there with Amelia. The Faerie queen's quest seemed
to be irrelevant compared to her.
In Neopia Central, he bought many foods to stock
up on. He roamed the streets and found a chocolate factory. He went inside and
purchased a chocolate Lupe for Amelia. He held onto it in hope that he will
be able to see her again. He went toward the eastern side of Neopia Central
and found the Soup Faerie She was busy feeding poor Neopians. He walked over
to her and offered to help.
"Why, thank you, Prince Celeon," she said in
reply to his offer, "but there is no need. I have already fed them," she stared
at the Neopians around her and smiled, they were all well fed, "Now, how can
I help you?" she asked, turning to face Celeon.
"I am looking for the four rare neggs left in
Neopia. It is part of a quest from the Faerie queen. Do you claim one of the
neggs?" he asked, speaking quite frankly.
"I do," the Soup Faerie confessed, then gave
him a curious look, "But it is highly unlikely that I will give it away. I'm
sorry, Prince Celeon, but your quest will have to end here. I can not hand my
negg to you," she explained, watching the disappointed look on Celeon's face
with pity.
"Is there anything I can do to retrieve the
negg from you?" he asked, almost desperately, "Anything?" he asked again, urgent.
The Soup Faerie shook her head. "The only thing
I want other than the negg is a collection of soupspoons, but many of them are
retired. If you could find me some," she paused, pondering, "then maybe I'll
reconsider my possession of the negg."
Celeon smiled in delight, "I will find them
for you by the end of today," he promised. However, he had not expected his
words to be true. It had in fact taken him an entire day of searching various
shops in Neopia Central to find just three soupspoons. It was nighttime now,
and he was exhausted with hunger.
Walking up to the counter of the only shop with
soupspoons on sale, he nearly tripped over one of the shelves. The shopkeeper
stared at him with surprise, "Prince Celeon?" the silver Kougra asked, walking
up to Celeon, "Are you alright? You seem to be quite tired. Here, rest," the
Kougra pulled a chair from behind the counter and set it aside Celeon. Celeon
sat in the chair without hesitation, thanking the Kougra
"I am here to purchase those three soupspoons,"
Celeon said, pointing toward the soupspoons on the shelf in front of him, "The
Soup Faerie wants them. I know they are usually not for sale, but I am desperately
in need of them. It is the only way I can finish my quest," he explained.
"The Soup Faerie? Really?" the Kougra said in
disbelief. "I thought she never gave quests," he paused, thinking to himself,
"but if you want to purchase the spoons, they are more than two thousand Neopoints
each. Unless you have more than six thousand Neopoints on you," he said with
sympathy in his voice, "I'm afraid you can't purchase them."
Celeon was crushed. He didn't have that kind
of money. It was too late to go back to Meridell now. He needed another way
to purchase the spoons. "I don't have that many Neopoints, but I can help you
in the shop to earn it if you'd like. I'll do anything for the spoons, please,"
he pleaded, slightly embarrassed by his desperation.
The Kougra smiled, "I think you have to eat
and rest before working. You seem to be on the verge of collapsing. I cannot
let you work in my shop if you are so restless. Here," he pulled out a sandwich
from behind the counter, "Eat this, Prince Celeon. It's my treat. I thought
you were a rich fellow, but it seems like your royalty has faded away at the
moment. So, until you get back on your feet, you can rest here awhile," he said
with a smile.
Celeon was more than grateful. He ate the sandwich
and politely said thank you in favor of the Kougra He stared at the nametag
on the Kougra and found out his name to be "Renardo". Renardo went off and started
helping customers while Celeon finished his sandwich. When Celeon was done,
he felt well fed and decided to roam around the store. He found an arrow and
bow suitable for the Battledome and aimed it toward a clock located at the back
of the store.
With one shot, he was able to shoot the arrow
straight into the center of the clock. Everyone in the store stared at him with
awe and admiration. He didn't seem to notice their awe until Renardo came forward
and patted him on the back with his paw. "Good job, Prince Celeon! Extremely
impressive," everyone started to compliment.
The store became crowded with Neopians urgent
to see Prince Celeon and his gift with the bow. Everyone cheered for him as
he shot numerous arrows straight into the center of the clock again and again.
Meanwhile, all of those whom had already seen the show continued to stay in
the shop to roam around purchasing items. By late night, all customers had departed
and items were scarce in Renardo's shop.
Renardo was thrilled. He was smiling and bouncing
around at his luck. "Prince Celeon, as a gift of my appreciation for your ability
to sell nearly all of the items in my shop, you may take all three spoons and
a set of bow and arrows from my shop. However, I recommend that you stay in
my Neohome until morning. It is nearly midnight and the Soup Faerie must be
exhausted by now. You are invited to stay if you wish," he suggested.
Celeon followed Renardo to his Neohome and slept
in the guest room. The house was cozy, with a feeling of hot chocolate and relaxation
wherever Celeon walked. He lay on the bed in the guest room with a content mind.
All he needed to do now is find the last negg. The first place he wanted to
visit was the Ice Caves, where Amelia was waiting for him. He would find her
and continue his search, hopefully with her along his side. He closed his eyes
and started to dream of completing his quest, completely unaware of the dark
aroma circling around him…
To be continued…
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