"Everyone gather 'round!" the royally dressed Kougra said to the company. "Quickly! QUICKLY!"

The other stage actors and actresses rushed over to the cast leader. "What is it Tomar?" asked a Kougra in a queen costume. "We've got to finish dress rehearsal before the king comes to see our production!"

"That is our problem, Anara!" cried Tomar. "The king! The king has decided he does not want to see our play!"

"What horrible news!" Henre said. The Zafara took off his elegant hat and stared at the ground sadly. "Well, we should leave then. This king has quite a temper, and I'm sure if he does not want to see our play, we'd best pack up and leave his stage."

No, no! You don't not understand!" said Tomar, feverishly. "He wants us to perform, just not our play!"

"What?!" Anara gasped, nearly knocking the fake crown from her head. "But... but we don't know any other plays!"

"We can't possibly--" Henre began. However, was interrupted by the trumpeting of horns.

Tomar's eyes shot wide in horror. "THE KING!! He's coming! Quickly, quickly, all of you! We must improvise!" he shouted to the cast.

"An entire play?" gasped a member.

"We have no choice! Get backstage and find a costume... everyone!" Tomar ordered. The cast rushed behind the curtains to quickly change into anything they would think suitable. Knees shaking with fright and worry, Tomar turned to greet the king, who had now entered the theatre.

"I trust tonight's performance will be... satisfactory?" the king asked in an icily cold voice.

"O-o-of c-c-course m'lord! N-n-nothing to worry about! We a-are professionals!" the Kougra replied, shaking so badly he thought he might soon collapse. He noticed the seats beginning to quickly fill.

"Good. The play will begin once I take my seat." the king said, then began following his guards to the deluxe balcony.

Not wasting a moment, the Kougra shot backstage. Most everyone was now in costume, and he was about to ask for suggestions for a plot, when the trumpets flared again, announcing that the king was ready for them to begin...

He was sweating hard from nerves; which he was trying his best to keep hidden. "Tonight," Tomar began, "Y-you shall witness the Royal Theatre Group's most proud production." He mopped the sweat off of his mane. He noticed that the king was seated in his royal box watching sternly while surrounded by his guards... which gave him his idea.

"A-a story of love, war and treason. This story is of a rich king, who was in his youth, a powerful warrior..." said Tomar, feeling more confident as he went on, "...but now he is coming to the end of his reign, and is searching the land for an heir, as he has none to call his own."

Upon hearing this, the king seemed to sit up and take notice, as it mirrored his own situation. "He orders his finest squires to search in the deepest ravines and the highest mountains... in the grimiest farmhouse, and grandest palace for one who would be a worthy heir."

Tomar flourished his cape for flair, and continued. "Here is where we start our quest, with our squires having traveled for three days solid. They have just now stumbled upon a humble village in Meridell, where they decide to rest for the night."

On this note, Tomar moved off the stage to make way for three of his company--two dressed as squires and one as a peasant. "I-it's good to finally see a town again," said the Lupe dressed as a squire.

"Ummmm... Yes." replied his partner, a Moehog. "W-where do you think we may rest?"

On this note, the female peasant Kacheek cried, "We have room! We also have food and beds if you would favour us with your presence."

The Lupe bowed. "Of course. We'd be happy to."

Sensing a quick need to change the set, the lights went off momentarily. Several seconds of clattering and running feet followed. Presently, the lights came on, with a new backdrop, and the pets seated at a wooden table for dinner. "So," began the Kacheek, trying to think of a way to begin the new scene. "Why are you here in our small town?"

"We--" began the Lupe and Moehog at the same moment, but the Lupe quickly shut his mouth and signaled with his eyes that the Moehog should continue.

"W-we are traveling far and wide, looking for an heir to the throne," explained the Moehog. "One who is noble, and strong enough to pass our king's great test."

The Kacheek hardly had to act curious when she asked, "So what exactly is this test?"

Seeing the Moehog's eyes go wide, and dart towards him, the Lupe frantically tried to come up with a test which could be grand enough for a king, "Well," he said, trying to buy him a few moments to think, "the test...

..."The test is a deep secret, one that only the king knows," the Moehog said with a burst of sudden inspiration. "Why, if he were to tell his test, it might be easy to prepare for."

The Kacheek cocked her head. "Do even you know of the secret test?"

"No, not even we, his faithful squires, have been told," sighed the Lupe, finally falling into the story. "But he did tell us that the test will require courage, strength, cunning, and, um... sound judgement."

There was a brief pause, as though everyone was waiting for someone else to speak, before the Kacheek spoke up, "I know just the brave lad to become the king's heir to the throne! He is just a poor farmer, but never will you find a better man. He is kind, strong, handsome, wise, gentle, courteous--"

The Kacheek might have continued forever if the Lupe had not interrupted. "He, uh, sounds like quite a guy!" he chuckled nervously.

"Oh, he is!" the Kacheek sighed dreamily.

"Well, then... let us set out to find this stranger," the Moehog cried, motioning frantically for the curtain to be closed.

As the next scene began, Tomar was busy thinking what he would choose for the test. He thought about the qualifications that had been laid out for him by his cast, and suddenly he came up with a wonderful idea.

Just then, Tomar saw that it was time for him to go on stage and announce his test. He boldly strode forward, motioning for Anara, dressed in a royal costume to follow him. "Welcome, stranger!" he boomed at the rather nervous looking Zafara in front of him. "If you wish to be the heir to my kingdom... you must pass one test: win the heart of my fair daughter!"

Anara's eyeswent wide, and she whispered from the corner of her mouth to Tomar, reminding him that he had said previously that the king had no heir.

Tomar's back went rigid as he realised his mistake, and quickly thought of a way to correct it. "Yes! I see the surprise in your eyes, young suitor!" he said to Henre. "For many years I have kept my daughter hidden away in my castle, leaving many to think I had no children at all. What I truly look for is an heir to my throne." The crowd murmured in surprise and acceptance. Relieved the crowd was buying it, Tomar continued. "I trust her good judgement, and she shall be the one to choose who will take the throne when my time comes. Now, your test begins."

Henre glanced at Anara and gulped...

"I can't do this! What's the point? It's going to fail miserably!" the Zafara cried.

Tomar's eyes widened, and his heart began to pound furiously. He had to fix the situation. "You mean... you will fail to win my daughter's heart?" he boomed, turning away from the audience so they couldn't see his face as he glared angrily at Henre, who continued to cup his head in his hands and wail.

Thinking quickly, Anara stepped forward. "Young sir, out of the many men who have tried to pass the test, you are the only one who has... erm... showed true emotion!" she said. "I choose you!" Henre looked up at her with astonished eyes.

"No!" Tomar roared, quickly getting back into stride. "Look at him! He is weak, and pathetic! He cries, and doesn't even try to pass my test! He will never make a good king!"

"Father... you have kept me locked up in this castle for years, never letting me go out or make friends! If you do not like my choice, then we will run away together!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with anger as if it were a real argument. A gasp arose from the audience as Anara grabbed Henre and ran off the stage abruptly.

"Guards! Get them!" Tomar cried, before running off stage after them. The audience clapped, and the lights faded out.

As Tomar rushed off, sighing with relief, Erka the prop manager plodded on, pushing a woodland background in front of him. Other actors scurried on, placing any props they could get their paws on around the sides of the stage before the lights came back on. Erka, a rather large Cybunny who was not at all fond of exercise, found the backdrop incredibly hard to push. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow as he pushed the scenery into place. He then turned around and began to plod off.

The lights suddenly flickered on, then Anara and Henre came running out onto the stage together. Erka turned around, startled, and suddenly realised that he was standing in the middle of the stage, with the whole audience watching him. His heart lurched as he realised he couldn't run off now. It was too late.

Anara and Henre looked just as startled as him.

"Why...who are you, stranger, dressed all in black?" Anara asked nervously.

Erka desperately searched his mind for something to say--he wasn't an actor! He knew he had to make up something quick, though. All their lives were on the line. "I..."

"I... I am... Ursa, the black..." he paused, looking at his clothes. "Monk."

Offstage, Tomar put his head in his hands.

"Why, what are you doing in woods as dark as these?" Henre asked.

Erka stared blankly at him.

"Do you happen to live in these woods, Ursa? Maybe you could tell us where we can hide from my father's soldiers," Anara asked, hoping that the Cybunny would get her point.

The silence dragged on, when Erka suddenly understood what he was supposed to do.

"Yes, young couple, I am Ursa the Monk! I live in these woods! I can indeed tell you where you can hide!"

Anara and Henre silently groaned, but the audience seemed to be buying it.

"There is a cave deep in these woods, and hidden inside is a dark maze. If you go there, you will never be found!" Then, as if by inspiration, he added, "Why, some people say that a faerie lives in that cave!"

Once again, the stage went silent. After several seconds, Henre said, "So, um... perhaps you might tell us the WAY to this cave?"

"Ahem, of course. Just follow this path until you come to a gnarled tree. Then turn left, walking directly towards the sun, until you come to a stream. Turn right, and follow the stream until you come to a crystal rock formation. Cross the stream, and keep going straight until you hit a swamp." Erka was beginning to get into his speech. "Then you wait for the sound of wind blowing through a hollow tree. Follow that, until you come to a tree that was struck by lighting. Once you get there, turn right until you come to a giant canyon. And then....."

Anara interrupted him. "Um, perhaps there might be an easier way to this cave, kind sir."

Erka was startled by being interrupted. "Uh, yes, sorry... just keep following this path a little, until you come to another path on the right. Then, just follow that."

Henre thanked him, then Anara and Henre ran off the other side of the stage. Once the lights went down, one of the stagehands yanked a petrified Erka from the stage.

Various boulder props were brought out, then Henre and Anara walked onto the right edge of the stage, just before the lights came back up.

Anara sat down on a large rock. "I'm afraid we're terribly lost; I wish we had thought of some way to mark our path while we were coming here."

She glanced at Henre. He had begun to stare at the audience again, and she was afraid he was about to panic. Just as she began to speak, Henre jumped on another rock.

"I hear the sound of water in the distance!" Henre said. "And the sound of singing with it!"

"Oh yes, I hear it too!" Anara said. "Perhaps if we follow the sound, we'll find some way out of here!"

Anara and Henre walked down one aisle of the audience, and back up the other as the crew changed the set once more. When the lights came up they saw...

Backstage, Tomar turned a particular shade of green, then groaned again.

Anara and Henre approached the stage with only a slight moment of hesitation. The Moehog stopped his dreadful singing and turned to look at them, apparently waiting for them to speak first.

"Err... hello, Madam Faerie... what a beautiful song you were singing!" Henre announced. Meanwhile, the audience roared with laughter.

"Umm... yes," Anara agreed. "It's, um... quite interesting."

"Thanks!" the Moehog replied cheerfully in a high-pitched squeak. "Glad you like it, Anara!"

Anara and Henre glanced at each other, eyes wide with trepidation, then back at the Moehog. However, the "faerie" (apparently very pleased with himself for coming up with such a hilarious act) didn't notice his mistake.

"Err, lovely Faerie... how did you know my name?" Anara asked, her voice slightly trembling.

The Moehog blushed. "Ahh... yes." he mumbled, stalling for time "Well... I... am a magical faerie, my dear. I know all things. In fact, I believe you are lost, and looking for a place to hide?" the "faerie" asked, smiling.

Yes," Anara sighed, "That's right."

"Well then, follow me..." the "faerie" said as he led them offstage.

Backstage, Tomar chanced a look at that King, whom he noticed was still smiling. Tomar sighed with relief as the cast changed the scenery once again.

When the lights came back on, the scene had changed to the woods once more. The "faerie" had come to a stop in a makeshift clearing. Turning to them, the Moehog suddenly shouted. "My king! My king! The traitors are here! Come quickly!"

Henre gasped. "Why have you betrayed us?"

"As I said, I know all things," the "faerie" said, pointing at the Zafara. "And I see through your disguise... PRINCE RAMUR!"

Backstage, there was a mad shuffling, as Tomar raced out onto the stage with several (quickly) dressed guards. Drawing himself up in a kingly fashion, Tomar roared, "SO! You really are..."

...the son of the king from a warring nation whom I banished years ago! I should have known, the way you sniveled in front of my daughter," he snarled. "When your father's kingdom and castle had fallen, you begged, 'not the noose, your majesty, I repent... I repent! I am innocent--not like my father!' I believed you, and now you're after my daughter... and the throne!"

Anara knew she had to say something. "Father," she said, quickly and regally. "For years you locked me up in a forsaken tower! Did you truly think that I could so willingly put up with you and your suitors? Ramur and I hatched this plan together."

There was a collective gasp, from the people onstage as well as the audience.

"You mean to say," Tomar said, his voice shaking, "that you have betrayed me and my kingdom for this scum? What did he promise you in return?"

Anara looked at him spitefully; meanwhile, the audience followed their every move. "Nothing!" she spat. "Only freedom and equality, things I SHOULD have received from my own father!"

The words stung Tomar's character; even Tomar was a bit burned, as the heat of the scene got to him. "My daughter..." he stammered, "I did not know you felt this way..."

"If only you had listened." Anara cut him off angrily as she displayed an exaggerated look of hatred on her face. "Ramur is where my future lies... not with you!"

"Daughter... forgive me!" Tomar said.

"Who's sniveling now, king?" Henre smirked. "Well, not king for long... I say we hold one final contest, me against you. Duel by the sword--nothing else... no guard intervention, no magic intervention."

Tomar nodded. It would be an exciting end to the play. "And the winner takes the crown?" he asked.

"And the rights to me," Anara said quickly. "Ramur, my faith is with you. Do well."

"I shall triumph, fair lady, and win us the crown and your freedom!" Henre said majestically, motioning for one of the guards to give him a sword. Reluctantly it was done.

"And so, we duel," Tomar said...

"And now, Prince Ramur," Tomar belted. "Let us see how brave you are for my daughter and my crown. En garde!"

So then, the fight began: both the Kougra and Zafara swished and dodged, adding as much emotion as possible with every movement. The metal clanking of their swords echoed off the walls as the actors continued their fighting dance. Anara spared a look at the audience, and could see that they were enraptured by the performance.

"Surrender, you titan!" Henre shouted as sweat glistened on his brow. "Your days of tyranny have come to an end!"

"I would rather die than bow down to a pathetic worm like yourself!" Tomar shouted back.

Unfortunately, Tomar and Henre were getting so into their act that they didn't realize how dangerously close they were getting to the edge of the stage.

Anara gasped as she saw that Tomar's leg was just about to touch the ledge. "LOOK OUT!" she screamed, making the audience believe it was still part of the play.

The warning, however, was not heard in time. The moment Tomar stepped back and his paw missed the stage, he lost his balance and fell backwards. In a desperate attempt to remain onstage, he grabbed Henre's tunic, causing them both to tumble into the orchestra pit. There was a loud crash of moans and broken instruments when the two actors disappeared from sight.

Anara felt her blood run cold as she looked at the audience. It was then that the most brilliant idea came to her mind.

"FATHER! RAMUR!" she cried dramatically. "No, this cannot be! My beloved father and only true love, cast away into the treacherous sea below! Oh woe is me! How foolish I was to let them battle for the throne, instead of trying to make peace as a true monarch should. Now there is no king to rule our land, and I am not worthy of being its queen."

Anara then grabbed a prop sword from the edge of the stage where it had fallen in the struggle, and pointed the blade up to the sky, causing the entire audience to gasp.

"Oh, happy sword!" Anara moaned as she turned the blade towards her chest. "Do me this favor and end my suffering!"

Just as she was about to thrust the blade down, the Moehog ran and caught the blade just in time. "No, your majesty! You mustn't! You must be queen now!" He then lowered his voice so that the audience could not hear him. "What're you trying to? Depress the whole kingdom?"

"It's dramatic!" she hissed back, struggling to get the sword back. "It'll look good!"

Continuing to make it seem like they were fighting over the sword, the Moehog hissed: "Anara, look! I think we have the moral already! Let's just make you queen and end this thing already. Besides, I think this sort of ending has been done before..."

"Oh, it has not!"

"Trust me, it's cliche! And there's no WAY I'm letting you die on me, so that I get stuck improvising an ending alone, all right?"

The Moehog then snatched back the sword and spoke loudly again for the audience. "No, my queen. There has been enough bloodshed on this unhappy day. You have seen both the faults and the praises of your father and Prince Ramur. Use these as your guide to rule over us as queen." The Moehog then bent down on one knee before the Kougra. "All hail Queen Anara!"

The other guards followed suit and did the same. "All hail Queen Anara!"

Just then, Tomar and Henre crawled up from the orchestra pit, both exhausted. Tomar turned to the audience with a broken violin on top of his head.

"And so," he proclaimed rather wearily. "The lovely Anara became Queen of all the land and, through the events she had witnessed, realized what being a monarch truly meant... The End."

The cast held their breath as they waited for a response from the audience and, more importantly, the King...

...They were quite relieved when the response was a tumultuous applause.

"Bravo!" the king yelled as his escorts threw roses onto the stage. "Excellent!"

The entire cast breathed out as the clapping continued. As they stood there, stunned, Tomar hissed out to them.

"Curtain call!" he said. "Now!"

The cast scurried into a horseshoe around the stage. First, the Moehog bowed, followed by the Kacheek who had acted as a peasant. Erka followed, after being shoved into view by several other people from behind stage. He bowed slowly and looked up at his audience, terrified.

Next came the guards and Lupe squire, who were followed by Tomar. When the royally dressed Kougra bowed, his crown fell into the orchestra pit, right on top of a broken clarinet. Lastly, Henre and Anara bowed together, recieving the loudest applause.

The audience soon filed out of the auditorium, while their king met with the cast.

"That was brilliant!" he bellowed, making the cast jump back in unison. "I love it! Pure magic!"

Tomar grinned. "Thank you, sire. We worked very hard."

"In fact," the king continued jovially, "it was so wonderful, that I would love an encore performance! How about tomorrow? I'm entertaining several guests from another land."

The king left before they could respond. They were too shocked to even moan. Another performace? How could they remember it all?

"Oh, no," Tomar muttered. "Here we go... AGAIN."

The End