The Prank on Cook. Part 6

Artham was a sleep in his bed. Everything was calm, and peacful.

Except for the figure prowling around in his room. The figure slowly approched Arthams bed, it's hand outstretched towards him.

Artham stired in his sleep, and opened his eyes. He saw the figure and sat up, drawing his sword that was sheathed next to his bed, in easy reach.

The figure threw back his hood. Esben stood there grinning like a hand in the cookie jar.

"Es! What are you doing?!" Artham said as loudly as he could in a whisper. He put his sword back in it's sheath.

"I am going to play a prank on Cook. I need your help."

Artham stared at his little brother. "No."

"Pleeeaaaassseee?" Esben wined.

"No! It's way to late, and you shouldn't be disturbing Cook."

Esben gave his a side eye. "Why not?"

"Because it is rude."

"Did you find it rude when I put a snake in your pillow?"

Artham pointed a finger in his face. "Tha. . . . ."

Esben's eys widened, and he took a step back.

Artham tryed to contain his emotions when he asked. "When, ahem, when, did you put a snake in my pillow?"

Esben reached for the door handle. "I though you would have found it by now." He slowly started top turn the nob.

Right as Esben swung the door open and startedto dash out, Artham sprang out ofhis bed and pulled him back in. He draged him to the closet and shut the door after them.

Esben did not fight him. He just stood there looking sheepish.

Artham lit the candle and put it back on it's stand. He smiled sweetly down at Esben.

Esben startedto speak, but Artham held up a finger.

Arthams lips twitched, then he pulled something long and smooth from behind him and draped it over Esbesn shoulders. Esben froze.

"You mean this snake Es?" Artham asked.

Esben, did not move. The snake didn't move ether.

Artham chuckled and pulled the snake off his shoulders, holding it up in front of Esbens face. He started laughing. "It's a silk sock Es. I threw the snake out the window before getting in bed."

Esben was both shocked about the sock, and releived.

Artham was leanign against the wall, laughing, and after a moment Esben started laughing to.

Artham whiped tears from his eyes and sighed. "Okay, what do you need my help with on the prank on Cook?"

"You mean you'll help?" Esben asked.

"Pff, yeah. Since when do I pass up a chance to prank Cook?"

Esben grinned. "I have a jar of frogs I colected at the stream last night. While you were with Aru. I need your help hanging string on the candle holders. I want it to look like one of the spookie tail things that Aunt Illia told us after she came back from the Green Hollows."

Artham chuckled and nodded.

While Esben went to gathed the suplyes Artham changed into the Durgan Guild uniform he had recieved from one of his freinds in the Green Hollows as a birthday presant, and put it on.

He tied his longish jet black hair into a little pony tail at the base of his neck, and strapped his sword belt around his waist.

Esben came back a few minutes later holding burlap sack full of prank suplyes.

"Lets go." Artham said.

They both crept threw the halls of Castle Rysen, making as little noise as possible. They weren't really good at that. Esben kept giggling, and Artham couldn't walk ten feet without stubbing his toes.

"Why do we have to walk so close to the wall?" Artham asked.

"Aunt Illia told me that staying close tot he wall will make it harder to see us."

"I might have been kidding Es."

Artham jumped, and Esben squealed. They both spun around and saw there Aunt standing behind them, her arms folded over her chest. "What are you boys doing?"

None of them spoke, Artham and Esben just kept glancing at each other.

"Nothing?" Esben eventually said. But it sounded mroe like a question, which ruined the affect.

"We were practicing being Durgans." Artham said.

Illia 'mm'ed. "You boys are terrible liars. I know you've been planning on pranking cook."

Esben groaned.

"Don't worry, I am not goign to stop you. I only have one condision."

Artham nodded. "What is it Aunt?"

"Bring me a cake from the kitchen."

Artham nodded.

"Now be quick about it. You don't want to ruine your sleep, and be allt tired in the morning." She melted into the shadows.

"Aunty is creepy." Esben said.

"No, she is just a really good at being sneaky."

"Still, creepy."

"Come on."

They spent the next half an hour stringing up twine, and yarn all over Cooks room. Esben let the frogs loose in the room, and Artham poured honey in the wash bowl.

They both examined there work for one last time before creaping to the kitchen and getting a cake for there aunt. They each took a cake for themselves aswel.

Once they were out of the kitchen, and well down the hall, Artham suddenly stopped.

"Do you know where Aunt Illia is? We have to give her her cake."

Esben shrugged. He had a mouth full of cake.

"Lets check in the Garden." Artham said.

It took them ten minutes to get to the garden, and they searched for ahwile before finally finding her sitting by the Pink tree where they had met Arundelle.

She was humming something. A sad haunting song. She looked up when she heard them comming.

"We have you cake." Esben said.

Artham handed her the cake.

She smiled, "Thank you. Sit down I would like to talk."

The two sat donw next to her on the slightly damp grass and watched the fish. Nobody spoke for a while, so ensconced in there fish watching.

"I want to tell you a story." Illia eventually said.

They both looked at her. "What's it about?" Artham asked.

She cocked her head to the side. "It's about a man named Podo Helmer. I met him whil in the Green Hollows."