The window had iron bars crossing over it, but several of them had been loosened, probably by another prisoner.

Xavier pulled on one of the bolts that secured the bars to the window sill. It was rusty and squeaked in protest when he touched it, but he managed to pull it off and place it with a mostly quiet clatter on the floor. Through the bars on the door, they could see several other prisoners glancing towards the noise before jumping up and trying their own window bars.

For several moments there was the sound of creaking and squeaking from all around, before some of the cell bars refused to move and now only a handful of prisoners were still at work loosening the bolts. The rest were grumbling that theirs were firmly secured.

Only Akhalia refused to loosen the bars. “What about Ardie?” she insisted. “We can’t leave without getting the cure!”

“We have the cure,” Xavier responded, but he didn’t dare to show her the red bottle he’d bought from the store, just in case a guard saw it and took it away. “Now hurry and get out of the cell!”

Xavier heard several bars loosen all at once in the cell next to him, as if hearing that he had the cure for Ardie had given Akhalia new hope, new determination. 

 “Done,” she said. He heard the window creak open, and several minutes later, Crieff’s window.

Only Xavier was still trapped, working frantically on the last bolt which looked as if it had been there for years and was extremely rusty.

“Xavier, are you coming?” Akhalia’s voice, from outside.

“This bolt–won’t–loosen.”

There was the sound of footsteps, again.

“Hurry!” pleaded Crieff from outside. “We’re not leaving without you, Xavier.”

The bolt twisted, although it seemed to whine as if it didn’t want to come out. The footsteps were closer now, nearing his cell.

“What’s that noise?”

It was Gold’s voice, probably about to fulfill the promise they'd made to kill Crieff. They would see the empty cells in several seconds.

Xavier threw the bolt aside and then the bar as well and threw open the window, just as Gold registered what was happening…

“Run!” he shouted to Crieff and Akhalia.

  The Ordinary would be after them in almost no time.

And they had to get back to Ardie before it was too late.

***

Tag: @Nyxie

Okay, I will be back tomorrow, but I have some info I need to get strsight before I begin. Xavier and Alkhalia like each other, Crieff likes Ardie, Crieff and Xavier have gotten the cure for Ardie who is dying from having her elemental power of fire killed by a bucket of ice water, there's this Ordinary (EXPLAIN PLEASE) named Gold who reallyreallyreally wants to rule the kingdom (name?) and Ahkalia is the queen who must give the kingdom up so Ardie will be cured; Ahakalia, Crieff and Xavier are in jail and trying to escape but someone is coming so two leave and yeah. Is that it? Anything else I might need to know before I start?

@Lyric I am sort of new, but slowly becoming at home here at the chatterbox.

OKAY. Don't know how this'll go, but let's hope it's good!

~~~

Ardie breathed with much difficulty. The end was in sight, she felt it. Her heart of a fire was now only a spark. She had gone unconsious after Creiff got her close to the castle and... and what? What had happened? She knew she was in a stone room and it was sorta dark and someone, she couldn't tell who, was keeping a very small fire alive. Fire. she reached out with waht she had left and tried to tell the person to get her closer. Her voice wouldn't work and her strength was failing. She fell unconsious again just as the person drew a sword and shouts rang out.

~~~ 

Creiff heard Gold yell "What's that noise?" and he didn't need to be told twice. He headed out the window with Akhalia on his right and Xavier on his left. The three jumped out and Creiff prepared himself for contact. It was a short drop, but his body crumpled and he cried out in pain. His left ankle had made a very loud crack. He swore and tried to stand. the others had one a good distance ahead before they realised what they had left behind. Creiff made a 'go on without me' gesture and gritted his teeth for the long night ahead.

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry I left for so long, I know I kept saying "I'm back" and stuff but then my mom blocked Chatterbox on my parental controls/screentime. I'm really sorry for not being here and I kinda feel like I just left everyone here hanging. Chatterbox has been blocked all summer, and I can sometimes post on my sister's computer but not that often.

I haven't had time lately to check on this thread. I feel like I sign up for a lot of stuff but I can't keep up with it. Especially the Tag Game, I kinda let everyone here down and like...disappeared for a year and left everyone on their own to continue to story. I'm saying yes to everyone who wants to join. (Anyone can join)

I can't believe this thread is still alive. Thank you so much everyone, for when I was on my super long hiatuses, for being so loyal to the story. I didn't expect this to live for over a year.

My deepest apologies.

...

...

...

I also feel like I can't keep up with the Tag Game. I'm so sorry to announce this, and I know that I'm the creator of this thread, but I've decided to leave it. I'll still be reading the story, I just honestly don't really like the way the story went and I got writer's block every time. I didn't know what to do 'cause I didn't really want to flat out tell you guys that I didn't like it so I decided not to post but now you guys probably think that I ditched the Tag Game. Just so you know, I'm not shutting down the Tag Game forever. Everyone can continue. I just won't be in the Tag Game list anymore. I'll still pop in to say you guys are doing great occasionally, but...that's the end of me writing anything in the story. 

Farewell, tag gamers.

-Rora <3 

Captcha says....OH WAIT I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT MY CAPTCHA WAS CALLED. I guess I was gone way too long. Anyways. Captcha says "cbayy" Chatterbox Ay? Huh?

I'm gonna try to be around, but no promises since I go on loooooong hiatuses for like forever and then everyone's probably forgotten about me by now. 

AAAH I didn't see this!!! I don't really check the CB regularly anymore. I started working on the next part, though! I just wanted to let you guys know that I haven't completely forgotten about this! 

Also, @Rora, while I'm sad you won't be able to participate in this anymore, I totally understand. Thanks for creating this thread!!

Sorry this is so late! School started, and it’s been a little hectic lately, so I haven’t had much time to write. Here it is! 

Akhalia was a queen; she was used to making hard decisions. But now she stood, paralyzed, as Crieff lay on the mossy ground, wincing, and Ardie lay back at the palace, freezing to death. The Ordinaries were coming for them, swords glinting in the dying evening light. She couldn’t save both Crieff and Ardie. 

But she had to try. 

“Give me the cure,” she told Xavier, and he handed her a small vial, which she pocketed beneath her robes. “I’ll go ahead to Ardie, and you can stay and help Crieff. Okay?” 

Xavier nodded. “I’ll keep them from coming after you.” 

Akhalia only nodded in return; every word was a waste of time. She sprinted over to the stables of the Ordinary Brotherhood — she could tell where the stables were by the smell of animals and manure — and opened the door, slipping inside, doing her best not to startle the horses. She quickly scanned the stable and determined the horse with the kindest eyes and walked over to it, talking gently, running her hand along its velvety nose. She grabbed a carrot from a burlap bag in the corner of the stable and fed it to the horse, who gobbled it up, snorting. She led the horse out of the stable and mounted it, and then rode as fast as she could into the night.

***

Akhalia arrived back at the palace just as the sun was rising over the horizon, turning the sky rosy. She dismounted the horse and left it in the field before racing into the palace, praying she wasn’t too late. “Gerald?” she called into the unusually silent corridors as she ran to the bedroom Ardie had been left in. “Gerald? I’m back! Is Ardie—” 

But as she pushed open the bedroom door, her blood ran cold and her words were forgotten. The bedroom was a tangle of vines, crawling up the walls and twisting around the bed, so tightly coiled that the wood cracked and splintered beneath them. The floor was a carpet of moss and the ceiling was covered in ivy, eating away at the material like acid, chunks of stone giving way to the early morning light outside, rocky debris littering the floor. 

And no Ardie. 

There was no question of who could have done this: it was clearly the work of the Forest Witch. 

But how — and why — and it just wasn’t fair! Akhalia was so close to saving Ardie, so close. The Forest Witch wasn’t supposed to attack now. This just wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Akhalia knew she was acting like a young child who hadn’t gotten their way. She knew that throwing a tantrum wouldn’t do anything, certainly not save Ardie. But she just couldn’t help herself. 

She screamed and lunged forward, clawing at the vines on the walls, ripping them up and throwing them onto the floor, where they immediately sprouted into a dozen more vines like the many-headed hydras her father told her legends about. She screamed and tore up the plants and threw things about until her throat was raw and her fingernails were cracked and bleeding — how unqueen-like, her parents would complain — and then she just knelt down on the floor and sobbed.

Akhalia was so preoccupied with crying that she didn’t notice the Forest Witch’s vines creeping towards her almost sentiently, wrapping themselves around her wrists and ankles and neck, until it was too late, until she was completely wrapped in vines, a gap around her face only wide enough for her to see, to breath, until she was sure that there was no hope left, for her, or Ardie, or the kingdom.

I hope I didn’t move the plot too far along, if I did, let me know. Also I hope this part isn't too confusing? Let me know if I should clarify anything. And again, I'm sorry about how long it took me to write this!

Tag: @Moon Wolf :D