Florence had arrived! He looked at Everguard Castle in amazement, he had never seen something that big. It was built at the biggest entrance to the Evertree and had never been taken. It was also one of the biggest constructions ever built.

The only thing that could rival its side was its sister castle on the opposite end of the Evertree blocking the next biggest entrance into the Evertree.

That was when he heard the trumpets, turning around his facial expression quickly turned from amazement to disgust.

Looked like a noble had come to pay a visit, the Cavy snorted in the general direction of the convoy. He was just glad that he wasn’t in the line of sight, otherwise, he would probably have to bow. Florence sighed, shouldered his packs and started to approach the gate of Everguard castle.

As he approached he was once again struck by just how big the castle was, it was even bigger than the palace! He remembered that when he was just a pup he had been to the palace and was struck by how big it was. The castle put that to shame.

As he got to the gates he approached what looked like a guard, waving he said, “Hi, my name is Florence. I am here to sign with the Everguard, where do I go to do that?” The guard looked him up and down, before saying, “usually there is a recommendation letter, or at least a letter of some sort, do you have one?”

Florence started to take out his sentence letter that the judge had told him to take. Florence had thought that it was just rubbing his nose in his crime, and so he had crumpled it and stuffed it in his bag.

He pulled the letter out and was just about to hand it over until he was bumped out of the way by a couple of ducks with trumpets.

“His Majesty Prince Firiniel Florinica Agustinius Tragen has arrived, please make way.” The ducks shoved him out of the way.

The Cavy growled angrily and pushed the ducks out of the way, he was here first! He wasn’t making way for some arrogant entitled princeling! The ducks quacked angrily but he continued to push them away until they left him alone.

He smiled at the guard and started to hand him his letter, until he heard a voice, a high and grating mouse voice.

He hated mice squeaky voices, they just didn’t mesh well with his ears.

“Excuse me! Who do you think you are?!” The Princeling himself had arrived and oh, was he angry. Stopped by a Guniea Pig? He shook his head furiously this just wouldn’t do. He nodded at a couple bigger looking critters to take away this nuisance. No one would stop him! He was a prince!

Florence saw four large looking Hamsters start to approach him and grinned, what? Did the princeling think that they could stop him? It was obvious that they were all pansies! Their posture, clothing, and everything was shouting court ‘toughs’. He bet that they had never even been in a real fight.

He charged and laughed as they all hurriedly got out of his way. He didn’t stop until he got to the prince's carriage, walked right up to it and said “Oi! I was here first! I ain’t going nowhere!” With those words, he started to approach the guardhouse.

The Prince, on the other hand, was having none of it! “SOMEONE! REMOVE THE PIG PLEASE!”

Florence heard the word pig and turned right round, he ignored the smirking guard and stomped right up to the golden carriage. Then, opening up the carriage door he reached in and grabbed the prince only to feel himself suddenly grabbed from behind.

The hamsters.

He fell backwards and so did the prince. He struggled but the hamsters had quite the grip and they weren’t letting go anytime soon. He saw the ducks starting to waddle over, probably coming to get their piece.

The Prince got up, dusted himself off and started off on a verbal triad, “Piggy, piggy, piggy, who do you think you are?” He leaned in close. Taking pleasure in the anger that was showing on the peasants face. “Peasants, don’t annoy princes. Got that? I am the ruler here. Not you. Go back to rolling in the mud. It suits you better.” With those words, he raised his voice.

“Hamsters, show him a lesson.”

The hamsters dragged him off and prepared to have some fun, already thinking about all the fun that they would inflict on the arrogant Guinea Pig.

Hoppy, on the other hand, looked on in horror. He had been told to get things ready and establish the prince within the castle.

Until he saw his cousin… and the ducks. He looked on in horror as the events unfolded.

Then he quickly went to the guard.

“Sir, please, can you break that up? Please! The Cavy is my nephew, and the prince is my charge.” He looked at the guard hopefully.

The guard smirked. “I think it’s kinda funny. Look at that!”

And Hoppy looked, and almost fainted. His nephew was marching up to the carriage and appeared to be insulting the prince, or something along those lines.

He looked at the guard and gulped. “Please, sir! Please”

He heard the prince shout and looked back at his nephew marching back to the carriage, open the door, and grab the prince, he also watched as the hamsters pounced on him from behind.

Hoppy looked pleading at the guard.

The guard rolled his eyes, set down his weapon and prepared to sort the miscreants out.

The hamsters held him down and prepared to give him the beating of his life. Then he saw the guard come up behind them. He growled at the guard. How many people did the prince need to order to beat him up? Whatever the case.

This wasn’t the last that the prince had seen of him.

“Let him go.” The guard said. Florence looked up surprised.

The hamsters looked at the guard incredulously, “The prince himself gave us these orders! You have no authority here!” The hamsters turned their backs on the guard and Florence laughed. It was obvious now. The guard just wanted to curry favour with the prince. To do that he would beat the hamsters then beat him.

Florence grinned he wasn’t going down that easily.

The guard started by grabbing the first hamster and throwing him into the other two. Then proceeded to knock them all unconscious. Within moments the ‘fight’ was over.

Florence got up and looked on in amazement, before charging the guard while he was still even a little bit occupied.

The guard snorted, rammed his elbow into Florence's midriff, turned, and swept him off his feet before looming over him.

Florence prepared to receive what was bound to be a hard beating.

All he saw was a foot, and then blackness.

His last thought was that he and the prince weren’t done, not even close.

The prince on the other hand promptly forgot about the peasant and prepared to enter the castle.

He heard footsteps, turned around and saw a fist.

Then he saw blackness.

The guard stood over both of them and smirked.

“I needed a little bit of fun.”