Knighted

It was the seventh day in their sad little room before good news finally came. Mary and Mintee were curled up as usual, Bassoon in the beams overhead. Over the days they had been locked up, they had managed to slowly earn more and more of the Atlanteans trust- and they had, in return, been slowly allowed to make their room more and more comfortable. They had a bed now, made of various harmless plant material that they had gathered and that the scouts had gifted them. It was nicer than before- Mary almost felt at home now, under the sea. Almost.

A rough knocking on the door pulled the trio out of their thoughts. Bassoon chirped an affirmative, and the door opened to reveal Guerilla, the large herbivore having to crane his long neck down just to look in the room. “It's time.” He announced. “The queen has requested your presence.”

The trio froze, before chaos erupted as all three of them scrambled to get out of the closest. The result was a three way jam in the entrance, the two parasaurus slamming together with Basson barely avoiding the impact. “The queen?” Mintee looked up at Guerilla in confusion as she managed to pull her way out, Mary following behind in embarrassment as she shook her ruffled feathers out.

“Yes. The queen.” The court member let out an impatient huff. “Follow.” The trio quickly followed after the iguanodon, Bassoon landing on Mintees back and carefully preening his feathers. They had to look their best, after all.

Guerilla brought them to a large building they had never been able to approach before- one in much better shape than the previous one they were in. The walls were polished to a glimmer, and the plants covering them looked purposeful instead of an invasion. Monkeys of all kinds covered the walls, Mary shifting nervously under their gaze as they made their way up the steps. A pair of guards moved aside quickly at Guerillas snort- and then they were in.

The room was large and circular, a long hallway leading to a more open area. It seemed to be some kind of indoor garden, a pool of fresh water running to a pond where colorful fish swam. A throne of some kind, made of various human materials to make a seat, sat at the far end. Behind it was a hoard of all kinds of treasure- Mintee gasped in amazement as the gold glittered. Scattered all across the room were monkeys- climbing furniture, playing in the treasure, and some enjoying various fruits on platters seemingly custom made for them.

And sitting on the throne was the queen. Another iguanodon, she sported an unusual blue color with a wave of white over the top of most of her feathers, save for a few key areas. Long feathers gave her a crown, and armor over one of her legs provided some extra protection. 

The trio stared in awe as the queen stood, shaking a few coins off of herself. “Welcome.” She nodded at Guerilla, and the bulk iguanadon bowed before turning and leaving. The queen turned back to the trio with a smile, flicking her feathered tail. “I am Queen Rhys. I would like to formally introduce you to Atlantis. I apologize that you had to wait so long- I was quite busy.”

Mintee and Bassoon looked to Mary, and the red parasaur floundered for a moment before coughing and speaking. “H-hello your majesty." she shuttered for a moment. “It is nice to finally meet here. We came here to ask a few questions.” 

Bassoon let out a loud squawk, fluttering off of Mintees shoulder and onto the floor. “Yes! The scouts! The seeds! Why?”

Queen Rhys looked at the tapejara with a sad expression on her face. “There are reasons for what you ask, I swear. Please, let me explain.” 

Bassoon made a face, but didnt respond. Mintee gently knocked at the tapejaras wings before looking at the queen. “Tell us.”

“Quite a while ago, shortly after I became Queen, our kingdom was shook down to its very core. The great dome that protected us from the sky water cracked- and the water swept in. We managed to seal it off, but every day it grows more. Unless we are able to repair it, it will only grow bigger- and I fear even then it would be impossible to fully fix. The backup plan is to evacuate- evacuate the people, evacuate the plants, bring the jungle with us to the surface. It is the only way for us to survive.” The queen eyed them again. “I cannot accept failure in this. We did not expect… just what was on the surface. Terrible carnivores, hunting and terrorizing the scouts. We cannot fight against what we do not know. You, from the surface, can protect us. You know who will come, you know what they can do. My people do not. Help us- become a knight. Help protect my people.”

Mintee was the first to react, smiling at the queen. “Please, let us discuss.” She quickly grabbed the other two, dragging them to the far side of the room. “What do we do?” The green parasaur hissed.

Bassoon snorted. “They had us as prisoners and forced us to do stupid tasks! This place is horrid! Why should we protect them?” The tapejara flapped his wings angrily.

“But many are kind.” Mary reminded him, taking the wind out of his sails. “Many have helped us. They gave us our bed, and began to trust us. It makes sense for them to be scared. Chances are, they will die if we do not help. Either from this crack, or the angry dinosaurs soon to come.”

“You're right.” Mintee nodded. “All the hatchlings- they couldn't hope to escape.” The three trailed off into silence, before looking at each other and nodding.

“We’ll do it.” Bassoon called once they all turned around. “So how do we do the knighting thing?”

“Excellent!” Queen Rhys smiled, before stepping forward. “As knights, it will be your duty to protect, defend, and teach the residents of my kingdom against the approaching threats. This is only temporary knighthood, so you do not need to swear complete loyalty to me- however, you do need to swear to protect Atalantis and its inhabitants. Is this agreeable?” Mintee nodded, Mary and Bassoon following soon after. 

“Good. Now bow, and repeat after me. I shall cut your forearm with my claw, and you shall be knighted.” 

A bit nervous now, the trio quickly bowed and repeated the words as directed. “I swear to defend Atalantis, its inhabitants, and its queen from any outsiders who seek to do harm until it is out of harm's way. I accept this knighthood, for the good of Atlantis.”

Mary shivered as the sharp claw pricked along her forearm, drawing a shallow line of blood. Mintee was much the same, no difficulties arising. Bassoon was a bit rougher- Queen Rhys hesitated, clearly not knowing where to cut. Bassoon nervously held his wing arm out, and the queen was extremely gentle- or as gentle as she could be. Still, it ached. 

“Now, rise.” Queen Rhys commanded, stepping back. “Rise, knights, and serve!” Mary, Mintee, and Bassoon rose- no time for doubts now. The fate of a kingdom was depending on them- and there was no chance to reflect.