Ringo's eyes slowly fluttered open. He could see green leaves above him, but mostly he could see his mates' concerned faces.
"Ringo?" John asked softly, with lebih concern in his tone than he probably wanted to show. He reached out a hand to help Ringo stand.
With John's help, Ringo got to his feet. He swayed a bit, but found his balance quickly. "I'm all right," he assured them.
Paul's eyes were wide with relief. George was frowning quietly in the background, rubbing his shoulders where the Beast's paws had pinned him. Ringo smiled at them all. He really did feel better with only one object on his person, and seeing all his mates surround him helped a lot, too.
John was still looking very concerned. "All right, men," he berkata quickly, wanting to pindah on before he started akting too soft, "on to Nottingham."
The Beatles were still in the same part of the forest they'd chosen to sit down and rest, very near the road. They could get back on the highway if they could get transportation - and if they'd lost the police.
John went meneruskan, ke depan to peek at the highway from behind the trees. Though he still felt very nervous, George decided to go with him and help see how things were, since his eyesight was better than John's. John peered out with his narrow eyes fixed on the road, and George peered out from behind John.
"I think we've got trouble," George murmured softly. "I see a police car...."
Paul had come over to gabung them. "And there's some police moving round," he noted in dismay. "Although," he added as an afterthought, "they are moving funny...."
The four Beatles shared the same thought at once. "Their souls are gone!" they all cried.
John's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, they wanted us to ride in their car. Let's give the poor things what they were after."
George and Ringo giggled. Paul was already dashing for the car. "I'm driving!"
Strangely, no one objected. It was only when they were all settled into the car that Paul realized why. John, George, and Ringo, all in the backseat, happily nodded off after their ordeal in the forest, their heads lolling onto each others' shoulders. Paul yawned just looking at them, realizing how tired he was, too, but it was too late to change the seating arrangements, and it was up to him to drive them to Nottingham.
Paul drove throughout the evening and into the night. Whenever he glanced back at his mates, he found them still happily asleep after their adventure in the forest, and Paul would blink his heavy eyelids, thinking that some shut-eye would do him good as well. It was a good thing there were so few cars on the freeway, because there were times Paul was driving with his eyes closed.
Finally, just as it was starting to get light out again, Paul's lashes fluttered open on time to see an exit sign for Nottingham. Finally.... He turned the steering wheel and drove onto the exit ramp. Now maybe they could stop and he could get some sleep too... he was so tired....
Paul was hardly aware of his thoughts slipping away from him as he nodded off, face falling meneruskan, ke depan onto the steering wheel. His foot in its Beatle bootie was still pressing into the gas pedal, and the car rolled on its own down the ramp....
Paul's eyes flew open, and his head snapped up with a sudden start. He slammed his foot down on the brakes, stopping the car just before it could roll off the road, and jolting all his mates awake, too.
Paul took a deep breath and let it out as his friends began to stare into the front seat, wondering what had happened.
"Welcome to Nottingham," Paul berkata with a shaky laugh.
The Beatles wandered round the streets of Nottingham on foot, finding it just as empty as any other place they'd visited. George wasn't really in the mood for any nasty surprises like they'd had back in Liverpool and stuck even closer to his mates than usual. The foursome would up nearly pressed against each other as they strolled along, once again not really knowing where they were going, but at least this time, knowing what they were looking for. The boys weren't sure how to find the right police station, atau any police station, but figured they'd run into one sooner atau later.
"Maybe we're near it," George suggested. "Maybe it's a special place that makes anda fall asleep when anda get too close."
Paul wasn't sure. "I'd been driving all night, George."
"Yeah," John laughed, "we don't need a special object to turn him into a bad driver."
"I am not a bad driver!"
"He's not as bad as you, anyway."
"Well, selanjutnya time, I'm driving."
"No you're not! I drove first, it's my turn again."
"It isn't your turn, it's my...."
"Shh," George cut them off suddenly. "Listen!"
John, Paul, Ringo, and George all stopped their discussion and listened. In the distance, they could see two men in tall hats chatting quietly. Two policemen who had just finished patrolling on night duty, and were probably now off to bed.
"Think they know where that station house is?" whispered Paul.
Ringo nodded. "But how do we ask them?"
John had a mischievous grin on his face. "Need anda ask?"
He crept forward, towards the officers, who had their backs to the Beatles and didn't see John coming. As he got nearer, John smoothly pulled out the Sword of Truth, and when he was standing just behind the policemen, he tapped one of them on the shoulder with the hilt.
"Hey, mister," he berkata cheerfully, "how do we get to that old station house what no one can use?"
The police officer might have found this a strange question, but with the Sword of Truth touching him, he had no choice but to answer honestly. "Go down the way anda came from, at the selanjutnya block take three lefts and a right... wait a minute." His eyes narrowed as he turned to see who was asking him this question. "What are anda doing out here, young man....."
His voice trailed off as he recognized John - but John was already off and running away at puncak, atas speed.
The other Beatles joined John as he ran back to them, in the direction the policeman had indicated. The policemen tried to give chase, but they had been out patrolling all night and didn't have the same energy as the Beatles. Of course, Paul had been up all night too, and sometimes he started to lag behind, but whenever he did, one of his mates would grab his hand and pull him forward. There was no pertanyaan of leaving him behind.
Still, the Beatles didn't have too much time. Once they outran the police, those men might still remember that John had told them exactly where the Beatles were going next, and send reinforcements. The Beatles had to get where they were going, get the Orb, and get away as quickly as possible.
As the Beatles got closer, slowing their pace as they got far enough ahead of their pursuers, another pertanyaan occurred to them, one that had been in the backs of all their minds, though they had been avoiding thinking about it all this time: who got to keep the Orb of Protection?
So far it had been four Beatles, and four Objects, and everything had divided itself up perfectly. But what would happen when they put a fifth Object into the mix? Somebody would wind up with lebih Objects, and lebih power, than his mates. What would it do to the band dynamics? Whoever the Orb chose, that was three Beatles that no detik object would ever choose, who would feel less important and maybe even become resentful.
But then, what if it was even worse? What if the Beatle the Orb chose couldn't handle the extra power? Ringo had struggled enough trying to wield three Objects for a short time - although maybe that was just the strain of wielding Objects that weren't his. How the five objects divide among the four Beatles?
However it would happen, they would find out soon. The Sword, the Jar, the Coin, and the Crown all began to glow and pulse, seeming to drag the Beatles along towards their destination. The Objects sensed that their missing fifth member was close by, and just like the Beatles when they were missing one of their mates, they couldn't wait for a reunion. The Fab Four didn't even have to know where to go anymore. Their Objects pushed them.
And there they were, standing outside of a small, tumbledown, old building, which would have looked completely mundane if it wasn't for the fact that it was surrounded oleh a bright berwarna merah muda, merah muda glow.
It almost seemed too easy. All they had to do was walk in and take it....
John, as the bandleader, took a step meneruskan, ke depan to go inside, and the shield suddenly expanded, pushing him violently back into his mates.
All right. That left out John as the one the Orb wanted. John's smile faded as he processed that. Despite being the bandleader, he wasn't going to be the special one with two Objects to his name.
Ringo tentatively took a step forward. He was their King Richard after all, though since his battle with the Beast in the forest, he was a lot less anxious to own two Objects. He had almost made it to the shield when it pulsed again, knocking Ringo backwards, away from their prize. Almost as disappointed as he was relieved, Ringo brushed himself off.
Paul stepped meneruskan, ke depan next. Maybe it was for him? He could get through a shield and get an Orb!
But he couldn't. The shield pushed him back the same way as it had done to his mates.
As one, John, Ringo, and Paul all turned to look at George. They tried to keep their faces encouraging, to hide the disappointment that was etched all over them. Now George would be the one with the extra powers - the Beatles could never all be equal again, it would always be George who was the most special....
George took a tentative step forward, knowing what his friends were thinking, not even sure he wanted the honour if that was what it meant. Not to mention, he wasn't keen on walking into that shield after what he'd seen it do to his mates. But if he was the one the Orb wanted, then it wouldn't affect him the same; of course it would....
Push him right back, so forcefully that George was knocked over entirely and landed on his back. Stunned, George could only stare at the shield, innocently glowing a pale pink, as John gave him a hand and helped him to his feet.
None of the Beatles could get through the shield. That was good news in a way - it meant that none of them was lebih special than the other three. But there were lebih important things it meant, too. How were they ever going to get at the Orb of Protection and Benevolence?
John thought hard. "We're missing something here..."
"How did King Richard get it?" demanded Paul.
"I hope it's not the Beast that's supposed to be able to get the Orb," remarked Ringo.
"I hear footsteps," berkata George, much too calmly.
The Beatles turned. They could all hear the steady rhythm of feet tapping on the pavement, just a little ways ahead of them, ready to turn a corner and come into view. The police? Could they have sent reinforcements so quickly? atau had the Beast of Bodmin Moor sent a soulless army after them again? Could he have found them again so quickly?
"Come on!" Paul yelled in frustration at the berwarna merah muda, merah muda shield. "You're the Orb of Protection! Protect us!"
It was no good - the Fabs all knew it was no good. The shield hadn't let any of them in. But they were in danger of being pursued now, and if the Orb was any kind of protector, it should be willing to help them. Thinking as one, the four Beatles made a desperate dash for the unyielding shield....
And felt a pleasant warm sensation as they passed through it effortlessly and found themselves suddenly on the inside of a bare, dusty wooden room.
The room looked like it hadn't been used for ages. Dirt and cobwebs were everywhere, and the windows were all so smudged that it was impossible to look out of them and see who was coming. But none of the Beatles cared about that, because the menit they'd gone through, they felt a sense of peace, calm, and cinta wash over them, and they were content to just sit there and look at the table, on which sat the only pretty thing in the room.
The Orb of Protection and Benevolence was made of rose gold. It was about the size of a football, and mostly round, but with a little rim of extra emas running round the side for decoration. Small gemstones in red, pink, and white were studded across the surface in places, adding to the berwarna merah muda, merah muda glow it gave off. The Beatles were now sitting inside that glow, which seeped inside them and gave them the same warm feeling as sitting in front of a api on a cold winter day. All thoughts of the hard times they'd gone through on this adventure were wiped away, leaving a sense that they were perfectly aman, brankas and sitting with the people the most special to them in the world.
"Of course," John berkata after many minutes, first to break the silence. "That's what that poem was talking about. It was King Richard's whole army what used this Orb. It only works if we all use it!"
Relieved, easy smiles came to Paul's, Ringo's, and George's faces. "Of course," Paul murmured.
"Shall we?" John grinned at them. "All for one and one for all and all that...."
The Beatles all stood and clasped hands. Moving meneruskan, ke depan as one, they surrounded the beautiful Orb of Protection and Benevolence, and as one, they extended their hands. Eight hands reached towards the precious Object, forty fingers closed around its smooth,warm surface. The Orb cast out its protective shield to caress each of the Beatles, and the other four Objects vibrated happily, all five reunited at last.
"Ringo?" John asked softly, with lebih concern in his tone than he probably wanted to show. He reached out a hand to help Ringo stand.
With John's help, Ringo got to his feet. He swayed a bit, but found his balance quickly. "I'm all right," he assured them.
Paul's eyes were wide with relief. George was frowning quietly in the background, rubbing his shoulders where the Beast's paws had pinned him. Ringo smiled at them all. He really did feel better with only one object on his person, and seeing all his mates surround him helped a lot, too.
John was still looking very concerned. "All right, men," he berkata quickly, wanting to pindah on before he started akting too soft, "on to Nottingham."
The Beatles were still in the same part of the forest they'd chosen to sit down and rest, very near the road. They could get back on the highway if they could get transportation - and if they'd lost the police.
John went meneruskan, ke depan to peek at the highway from behind the trees. Though he still felt very nervous, George decided to go with him and help see how things were, since his eyesight was better than John's. John peered out with his narrow eyes fixed on the road, and George peered out from behind John.
"I think we've got trouble," George murmured softly. "I see a police car...."
Paul had come over to gabung them. "And there's some police moving round," he noted in dismay. "Although," he added as an afterthought, "they are moving funny...."
The four Beatles shared the same thought at once. "Their souls are gone!" they all cried.
John's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, they wanted us to ride in their car. Let's give the poor things what they were after."
George and Ringo giggled. Paul was already dashing for the car. "I'm driving!"
Strangely, no one objected. It was only when they were all settled into the car that Paul realized why. John, George, and Ringo, all in the backseat, happily nodded off after their ordeal in the forest, their heads lolling onto each others' shoulders. Paul yawned just looking at them, realizing how tired he was, too, but it was too late to change the seating arrangements, and it was up to him to drive them to Nottingham.
Paul drove throughout the evening and into the night. Whenever he glanced back at his mates, he found them still happily asleep after their adventure in the forest, and Paul would blink his heavy eyelids, thinking that some shut-eye would do him good as well. It was a good thing there were so few cars on the freeway, because there were times Paul was driving with his eyes closed.
Finally, just as it was starting to get light out again, Paul's lashes fluttered open on time to see an exit sign for Nottingham. Finally.... He turned the steering wheel and drove onto the exit ramp. Now maybe they could stop and he could get some sleep too... he was so tired....
Paul was hardly aware of his thoughts slipping away from him as he nodded off, face falling meneruskan, ke depan onto the steering wheel. His foot in its Beatle bootie was still pressing into the gas pedal, and the car rolled on its own down the ramp....
Paul's eyes flew open, and his head snapped up with a sudden start. He slammed his foot down on the brakes, stopping the car just before it could roll off the road, and jolting all his mates awake, too.
Paul took a deep breath and let it out as his friends began to stare into the front seat, wondering what had happened.
"Welcome to Nottingham," Paul berkata with a shaky laugh.
The Beatles wandered round the streets of Nottingham on foot, finding it just as empty as any other place they'd visited. George wasn't really in the mood for any nasty surprises like they'd had back in Liverpool and stuck even closer to his mates than usual. The foursome would up nearly pressed against each other as they strolled along, once again not really knowing where they were going, but at least this time, knowing what they were looking for. The boys weren't sure how to find the right police station, atau any police station, but figured they'd run into one sooner atau later.
"Maybe we're near it," George suggested. "Maybe it's a special place that makes anda fall asleep when anda get too close."
Paul wasn't sure. "I'd been driving all night, George."
"Yeah," John laughed, "we don't need a special object to turn him into a bad driver."
"I am not a bad driver!"
"He's not as bad as you, anyway."
"Well, selanjutnya time, I'm driving."
"No you're not! I drove first, it's my turn again."
"It isn't your turn, it's my...."
"Shh," George cut them off suddenly. "Listen!"
John, Paul, Ringo, and George all stopped their discussion and listened. In the distance, they could see two men in tall hats chatting quietly. Two policemen who had just finished patrolling on night duty, and were probably now off to bed.
"Think they know where that station house is?" whispered Paul.
Ringo nodded. "But how do we ask them?"
John had a mischievous grin on his face. "Need anda ask?"
He crept forward, towards the officers, who had their backs to the Beatles and didn't see John coming. As he got nearer, John smoothly pulled out the Sword of Truth, and when he was standing just behind the policemen, he tapped one of them on the shoulder with the hilt.
"Hey, mister," he berkata cheerfully, "how do we get to that old station house what no one can use?"
The police officer might have found this a strange question, but with the Sword of Truth touching him, he had no choice but to answer honestly. "Go down the way anda came from, at the selanjutnya block take three lefts and a right... wait a minute." His eyes narrowed as he turned to see who was asking him this question. "What are anda doing out here, young man....."
His voice trailed off as he recognized John - but John was already off and running away at puncak, atas speed.
The other Beatles joined John as he ran back to them, in the direction the policeman had indicated. The policemen tried to give chase, but they had been out patrolling all night and didn't have the same energy as the Beatles. Of course, Paul had been up all night too, and sometimes he started to lag behind, but whenever he did, one of his mates would grab his hand and pull him forward. There was no pertanyaan of leaving him behind.
Still, the Beatles didn't have too much time. Once they outran the police, those men might still remember that John had told them exactly where the Beatles were going next, and send reinforcements. The Beatles had to get where they were going, get the Orb, and get away as quickly as possible.
As the Beatles got closer, slowing their pace as they got far enough ahead of their pursuers, another pertanyaan occurred to them, one that had been in the backs of all their minds, though they had been avoiding thinking about it all this time: who got to keep the Orb of Protection?
So far it had been four Beatles, and four Objects, and everything had divided itself up perfectly. But what would happen when they put a fifth Object into the mix? Somebody would wind up with lebih Objects, and lebih power, than his mates. What would it do to the band dynamics? Whoever the Orb chose, that was three Beatles that no detik object would ever choose, who would feel less important and maybe even become resentful.
But then, what if it was even worse? What if the Beatle the Orb chose couldn't handle the extra power? Ringo had struggled enough trying to wield three Objects for a short time - although maybe that was just the strain of wielding Objects that weren't his. How the five objects divide among the four Beatles?
However it would happen, they would find out soon. The Sword, the Jar, the Coin, and the Crown all began to glow and pulse, seeming to drag the Beatles along towards their destination. The Objects sensed that their missing fifth member was close by, and just like the Beatles when they were missing one of their mates, they couldn't wait for a reunion. The Fab Four didn't even have to know where to go anymore. Their Objects pushed them.
And there they were, standing outside of a small, tumbledown, old building, which would have looked completely mundane if it wasn't for the fact that it was surrounded oleh a bright berwarna merah muda, merah muda glow.
It almost seemed too easy. All they had to do was walk in and take it....
John, as the bandleader, took a step meneruskan, ke depan to go inside, and the shield suddenly expanded, pushing him violently back into his mates.
All right. That left out John as the one the Orb wanted. John's smile faded as he processed that. Despite being the bandleader, he wasn't going to be the special one with two Objects to his name.
Ringo tentatively took a step forward. He was their King Richard after all, though since his battle with the Beast in the forest, he was a lot less anxious to own two Objects. He had almost made it to the shield when it pulsed again, knocking Ringo backwards, away from their prize. Almost as disappointed as he was relieved, Ringo brushed himself off.
Paul stepped meneruskan, ke depan next. Maybe it was for him? He could get through a shield and get an Orb!
But he couldn't. The shield pushed him back the same way as it had done to his mates.
As one, John, Ringo, and Paul all turned to look at George. They tried to keep their faces encouraging, to hide the disappointment that was etched all over them. Now George would be the one with the extra powers - the Beatles could never all be equal again, it would always be George who was the most special....
George took a tentative step forward, knowing what his friends were thinking, not even sure he wanted the honour if that was what it meant. Not to mention, he wasn't keen on walking into that shield after what he'd seen it do to his mates. But if he was the one the Orb wanted, then it wouldn't affect him the same; of course it would....
Push him right back, so forcefully that George was knocked over entirely and landed on his back. Stunned, George could only stare at the shield, innocently glowing a pale pink, as John gave him a hand and helped him to his feet.
None of the Beatles could get through the shield. That was good news in a way - it meant that none of them was lebih special than the other three. But there were lebih important things it meant, too. How were they ever going to get at the Orb of Protection and Benevolence?
John thought hard. "We're missing something here..."
"How did King Richard get it?" demanded Paul.
"I hope it's not the Beast that's supposed to be able to get the Orb," remarked Ringo.
"I hear footsteps," berkata George, much too calmly.
The Beatles turned. They could all hear the steady rhythm of feet tapping on the pavement, just a little ways ahead of them, ready to turn a corner and come into view. The police? Could they have sent reinforcements so quickly? atau had the Beast of Bodmin Moor sent a soulless army after them again? Could he have found them again so quickly?
"Come on!" Paul yelled in frustration at the berwarna merah muda, merah muda shield. "You're the Orb of Protection! Protect us!"
It was no good - the Fabs all knew it was no good. The shield hadn't let any of them in. But they were in danger of being pursued now, and if the Orb was any kind of protector, it should be willing to help them. Thinking as one, the four Beatles made a desperate dash for the unyielding shield....
And felt a pleasant warm sensation as they passed through it effortlessly and found themselves suddenly on the inside of a bare, dusty wooden room.
The room looked like it hadn't been used for ages. Dirt and cobwebs were everywhere, and the windows were all so smudged that it was impossible to look out of them and see who was coming. But none of the Beatles cared about that, because the menit they'd gone through, they felt a sense of peace, calm, and cinta wash over them, and they were content to just sit there and look at the table, on which sat the only pretty thing in the room.
The Orb of Protection and Benevolence was made of rose gold. It was about the size of a football, and mostly round, but with a little rim of extra emas running round the side for decoration. Small gemstones in red, pink, and white were studded across the surface in places, adding to the berwarna merah muda, merah muda glow it gave off. The Beatles were now sitting inside that glow, which seeped inside them and gave them the same warm feeling as sitting in front of a api on a cold winter day. All thoughts of the hard times they'd gone through on this adventure were wiped away, leaving a sense that they were perfectly aman, brankas and sitting with the people the most special to them in the world.
"Of course," John berkata after many minutes, first to break the silence. "That's what that poem was talking about. It was King Richard's whole army what used this Orb. It only works if we all use it!"
Relieved, easy smiles came to Paul's, Ringo's, and George's faces. "Of course," Paul murmured.
"Shall we?" John grinned at them. "All for one and one for all and all that...."
The Beatles all stood and clasped hands. Moving meneruskan, ke depan as one, they surrounded the beautiful Orb of Protection and Benevolence, and as one, they extended their hands. Eight hands reached towards the precious Object, forty fingers closed around its smooth,warm surface. The Orb cast out its protective shield to caress each of the Beatles, and the other four Objects vibrated happily, all five reunited at last.