Karen's POV

"Chamois, chamois..." Iris pokes Darius' bicep. She's been calling him that ever since we saw him this morning and he looks hilariously annoyed.

When Iris and Kevin went back home a few days ago, they brought their big backpacks along with them. We pack a lot of stuff inside the backpacks, most of them which are food. Thankfully, Eponine has a lot of long-lasting food and their bags are stuffed.

Darius and Caspian pack all the weapons and stuff like that in their bags. My bag consists of maps, reference books, and some extra clothes just in case and I also put in a couple of compasses, two tents, ropes, and other stuff meant for camping.

We don't put the heavy stuff in Iris' and Kevin's bags since me, Darius and Caspian are much stronger we could carry the heavy things and we also pack a first aid kit, consisting of various potions, some healing herbs and some bandages and mundane medical care stuff.

Each of us also carry our respective weapons with us. For me, Darius and Kevin, we are skilled with using swords as our weapon while Iris and Caspian are archery pals. Along with these weapons, Darius and Caspian also pack a bunch of other weapons like a whip, different sorts of knives, daggers and long blades, axes and even hammers.

We would never have trouble for water though, since Eponians can conjure up water from thin air but it would result in lessened humidity in the air. Technically, what happens is we produce water from the water vapour in the air, and that is bound to present everywhere.

We place the packed bags and arrange our weapons on the bed.

"Is that all?" asks Darius.

"I hope so, isn't that supposed to be everything? Food, weapons, camping equipment, first aid kit....yeah, I think that's everything." I say looking over to the stuff arranged down.

"How do we travel?" asks Iris.

"Horses." Caspian replies, pinching his bottom lip and not taking his eyes off our stuff.

"What?" gasps Iris.

"We are going to travel in horses. Three of them. We asked Kevin if he knew how to ride one and he said yes, so we'll travel with our horses." Caspian explains to her.

"Why didn't you guys tell us?" I ask.

"Well, us three know how to ride a horse and we'll take of you ladies," says Darius.

"However, we'll have to switch between our horses once in a while since two out of three, will carry two people at the same time. So if we switch, that will even out the load on them," says Caspian.

"Don't you want to meet them?" Darius asks and Iris nods like a little kid who had just been offered candy.

We go outside and beyond the garden to the royal animal farm. And I never visited this place. It's almost like a nice well maintained farm consisting of many cows mooing, sheep buffed up in fluffy white wool, hens poking around for grains, cute little chicks tottering around, and goats chewing grass in the weird way that they chew.

It's so peaceful around in here that it makes me want to just sit here, look at all these animals, and just..spend time looking at the beauty nature has created. But seeing goats chewing and the snorting noise that they make always cracks me up. 

I walk around the farm and Iris starts chasing around the hens and chicks, giggling and snorting while running around with the chicks. Far off, I see a bird place where the most beautiful birds I've seen flies around. They are of all sorts of colours. Pink, blue, green, yellow...a rainbow mix of feathered friends.

I decide to walk over the area, but stop midst my tracks when I hear a loud buzzing above my head.

The buzzing gets louder and I force my head to slowly look up but my heart freezes when I see a hive of large, buzzing bees. One of my biggest phobias is insects. Bees are the worst. And here I am, under the largest swarm of buzzing bees I've ever seen.

The hair on the nape of my neck stands up, and sweat breaks all over my body at the sight. My breathing quickens and I clamp my hand over my mouth to muffle any noise of my ragged breaths. I want to call out for help but my larynx seems to be frozen and my legs have turned into lead.

My breath hitches in my throat and then, I not able to inhale another ounce of air. The hive starts shaking due to a whiff of the wind and the swarm grows more violent. My chest aches like something just pierced it but something wraps around my midsection and I almost faint at the contact.

"Shh...pudding. It's nothing. They won't do anything. Calm down.. ...." A voice soothes me and I feel myself being lifted from the ground.

Wind rushes through me, as I feel my body in motion.

"Calm down....breathe...pudding it's gone...it's gone."

Who is this? Darius? He's carrying me? The bees just disappeared? 

My butt is placed on something hard and large hands support my shoulders.

"Shh...pudding...princess...breathe...they're gone. They're gone. It's okay, you're fine." he soothes, whispering slowly in my ear.

I slowly focus on my breathing and his calming words. The pain in my heart slowly fades and I become aware of my surroundings. Darius is behind me, supporting my shoulders and saying soothing things to me and the wonderful birds that I wanted to see, flies over just a little distance from me.

"D-D-Dar-Darius..." I breathe out his name.

"You okay?" he asks.

"B-Bees..." I gasp and he starts shushing me again. I count backwards from ten to calm my breathing down and start speaking properly again.

"They're gone...they're somewhere else. Gone. They'll do nothing to you....calm down, princess."

"I am so sorry...I hate insects." I quake.

"It's okay, pudding. It's fine, don't worry...I am here now." he assures.

"I got a panic attack when I saw some freaking bees. I'm such a hopeless case. How am I ever going to find the Borat and be queen?" I start sobbing.

"Look," he cups my face. "You are going to be a great queen okay? And we are going to find that freaking gem and you are going to be our queen. I am not saying this again, but we're all with you. You. Will. Do. This. Understand?" I nod slowly. "One more time you say that you are not capable enough, then pudding, I swear to god I will...I will spank you," he smirks.

I giggle. "Okay fine, I won't say it. Darius?"

"Hmmm?"

"Don't say this to anyone, okay?"

"Okay!" he says and kisses my temple.

*****

We saw the three horses for us shortly after that. One sleek black horse and two brown ones, strong, healthy, and beautiful horses. I hope they last us till the end of this journey.

After a lot of researching about King Etine's history, we first decided to go to the Land of Elves, Interlacus, since it is our neighbouring kingdom and Etine was very friendly with the Elven king, Rosanto. If they have any clue about the Borat's location, then that would be helpful. However, Interlacus, is quite far away, although it is the closest to Eponine.

So, it might take us days to actually reach there. But still we have no idea if they will be able to give us any information about where Etine was last seen or where the Borat is right now and since no one knows who I am, I will also have to convince them that I am Etine's daughter but I have no idea how to do that.

We're back in the meeting room, with all our supplies and luggage we arranged earlier. Entonia is to come to send us off. Like we might never even see her again, you know, if we die, but if I speak of dying, then Darius will spank me. And that's something I don't want. Not for now at least.

"Farewell, my dears." Entonia wishes. "And I pray that your fare be the shielded from any adversaries or jeopardies and may the path you choose be veracious and lead you to your true destiny, my children." she blesses us and bids us farewell.

And so this is it. Henceforth, begins my journey to find that gemstone. And I hope I will make it through. But more than me, I want my friends to stay alive.

So, I send a silent prayer to the big guy above to keep us safe and sound until we reach back with our goal.

**********

A/N: So here, at chapter 33, begins the adventure folks.....