"Just a minute!" said Draxon, "You just wait here! I'm gonna go away! I'll be back as soon as I can! I promise!"

"How soon!?" Darius cried out.

"Just a few minutes!" said Draxon. He disappeared in a flash of blue light!

When the light dimmed, Draxon was in his bedroom. He paced nervously back and forth. He was an IDIOT! He kicked a trunk at the foot of his bed out of frustration! Nervously, he then opened his bedroom door and headed downstairs and into the main part of the castle. He knocked on a door.

"Come in!"

Draxon nervously opened the door. Inside, Zelthran was busy standing at a table full of test-tubes, small pots, cauldrons, balance-scales and measuring cups.

"Hi grandpa..." Draxon whispered.

"Draxon".

"What are you doing?"

"Mixing a new potion. I figure if I add a bit of gold-powder into this thing, I can get this elixer to work that much better. What's the matter, boy?"

"Grandpa, where's father?"

"Oh he's gone back to Fantasmia for a few days. He has some important business to do. What is it that you want, my boy?"

"Well...see...I...I have a little problem..." Draxon whispered.

"I see...Well why don't you...Oh stop it!"

Zelthran bent down and picked up a fat, black cat.

"Come now, Charcoal! Out! Out! I don't want you purring and rubbing around my legs when I'm busy with my alchemy! I'll feed you later!"

Zelthran carried the cat to the door of his laboratory and put him outside. He closed the door. He could immediately hear a scratching sound where the cat was scraping on the door with his claws, wanting to come in.

"Now, what did you want, my boy?" Zelthran asked, turning around.

Outside, Charcoal kept scratching...and scratching...and scratching and...

"WHAT!?"

The cat screeched in fright and sprinted off down the corridor!

"I-i-i-i I didn't mean it, grandpapa!" Draxon whimpered!

"YOU...YOU...DRAXON YOU ARE BEYOND...DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?"

"Yes grandpapa..."

"YOU NEVER CAST A SPELL BEFORE YOU KNOW HOW TO REMOVE IT, IF IT MUST OR CAN BE REMOVED! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

"Yes sir!"

"And on top of casting a spell of such...dire consequences...you cast it on one to whom appetite is of the utmost importance!"

"Yes sir!"

"Draxon you are in SERIOUS trouble! You realise what this means if I can't remove that curse? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS IF DARIUS DOESN'T REGAIN HIS APPETITE!?"

"Yes sir!"

"NO YOU DO NOT! IF YOU KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE IT!"

"Yes sir! No sir!"

"IF THIS DOESN'T WORK, YOU WILL HAVE DESTROYED A CONNECTION BETWEEN OUR FAMILIES THAT HAS LASTED FOR SIX GENERATIONS!"

"Yes sir!"

"WHERE IS DARIUS NOW!?"

"In his room, sir!"

"Right!...You are coming with me!"

"Wh-what!?"

"WE are going to see King Daniel! Right now!"

"What!?"

Zelthran grabbed his grandson tightly by the arm.

"But..."

Both figures vanished in a blinding white light!



"Daniel wake up!"

"Huummmm..."

"DANIEL!"

"What!?"

King Daniel was aware of a sudden heat! When he opened his eyes, he saw that all the lights were on in his room!

"Wh-what's going on!?" the old king asked. He rolled over and saw Zelthran and a very sorry-looking Draxon standing next to his bed.

"Zelthran! What on earth is the matter?"

"I hope you are awake, Daniel. I have something very important to tell you".

"What's wrong?"

"Draxon, would you like to tell King Daniel about your little incident?"

Draxon's mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

"SPEAK!" Zelthran bellowed! Draxon suddenly burst into tears and cried!

"Now really!" said Daniel, sitting on the edge of his bed, "What is all this about, Zelthran?"

"I regrettably have to tell you, Daniel, that through my grandson's stupidity, the health of the heir to your throne is in serious jeporady!"

"Health...Oh! You heard about Chandler's little accident! Yes! No worries! The doctor said he's doing..."

"Not Chandler! Darius!"

Daniel stopped, his mouth open wide.

"Darius?"

"Your grandson. Darius. This IDIOT of a boy has done something to him and the effects may be irreversable!"

"What!?"

"TELL HIM!"

Paralysed with fear, Draxon only sobbed louder!

"USELESS BOY!" Zelthran snarled.

"Now Zelthran!" said Daniel. "Please!"

"That spawn cast a spell on your grandson Darius that disrupts his taste and appetite. It means that anything he eats will taste too sour or too bitter or will be otherwise wholly unpalatable and inedible to his tastebuds!"

"What!?"

"Whatever he eats will taste horrible! It is a curse that my grandson cast on yours in a fit of childish anger and stupidity! The result is that Darius hasn't been eating for nearly a week!"

"WHAT!?"

Draxon sobbed even louder!

"I can only say that I am extremely sorry about this, Daniel!"

"So I should think!" said Daniel. He grunted, got to his feet and grabbed his walking-stick.

"What are you doing?" Zelthran asked.

"I am going to see Darius right now is what I'm doing!" said Daniel. "Come!"

When Daniel saw Darius, he was shocked. The boy looked exhausted, limp, starved and weak. His belly gurgled constantly from prolonged starvation. He was gaseous and bloated and was feeling very sick.

"Darius!" Daniel said. He waddled over and sat down on his grandson's enormous bed. Darius groaned. He was feeling horrible! The king put a hand to his grandson's head.

"How do you feel?"

"Uuugghh..." Darius groaned. He was shivering and feverish and dizzy.

"It's the lack of food", Zelthran diagnosed. "He's not used to this sort of...prolonged emptiness. It's having an extreme effect on his body as a result".

"Well what can you DO?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know!" Zelthran shot back. "Boy!"

Draxon tiptoed over.

"What spell did you use?"

Draxon picked up the book of curses that he'd inadvertently left on Darius's coffee-table. He turned to the page and shoewd his grandfather.

Zelthran groaned.

"STUPID boy...Alright...Let's see...Stupid, stupid, stupid boy...meddling in things which he ought to know better about...Now Darius, look at me".

The old wizard knelt and pulled out his wand.

He waved it around Darius's head and then poked the prince in the belly with his wand-tip!

"Orexis Restituo"

Darius's belly gurgled even louder! He groaned and gasped. He felt so hungry!

Zelthran noticed the trolleys of food in Darius's room, which the prince obviously thought he would be able to eat earlier. The wizard handed Darius a tray of sandwiches.

"Eat", he said.

Nervously, Darius ate. One mouthful...two mouthfuls...three mouthfuls...

"How do you feel?"

Darius nodded weakly.

"I-it's alr-alright..." he gasped.

Zelthran got to his feet again.

"It may take some time for his appetite to return to the fullness of its previous strength and size", Zelthran said. "But he should be cured. If anything happens, you should summon me at once".

"Thank you, Zelthran".

Zelthran bowed. "Your Majesty".