Following the stone pathway, he let the gentle winds of memories float in around him. This was part of the Realms of Shadows' before the King built his castle above. After all, Aralt had been in the Realm long before the King of Shadows' existed and when the dragons had been nothing more than overgrown lizards. It is when his foolish cousin gave of her power to the previously non-magical dragons that the Realms changed. Aralt had taken his home and hidden it way underground before the now magical Dragons knew where it was. He could still be connected to the energy of the ley lines but not be easily found, just the way he liked it. Aralt knew there were other caves around down here with him, for after all, he knew there should be one where the Book of Dragons was held. Why the Wish Dragon clan had decided the King of Shadows' was to guard it was still a mystery to him, but figured he could check on it later. As he opened the door to his forgotten home, all the feeling of putting on a familiar warm fuzzy coat wrapped around him. It hadn't been his intent to be gone for so long. But when the Dragons all left the Realms in revolt, Aralt thought it was better to hide out somewhere else where the council members at that time couldn't find him. Who knew it would be hundreds of years and yet... what had triggered the Dragons coming back? With all the chaos of the call and reacting to the call to return home, Aralt finally had a moment to ponder that question. For it truly had to be something unique to bring the Dragons home, let alone willingly.
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"What are we to do now?" replied one member followed by "What do you think he will look like?" from another council member. In the middle of all this chaotic noise, Fiddlefaddle leaned over towards the Baron. Being the Baron's all around handy man and procurator of travel arrangements he quietly asked, "Do you know where he will be staying since we don't have what the Outies call a hotel here in our small village?" With that small question, the noise stopped instantly in the council chamber that one could have heard a pin drop if one was listening for that pin. Finally, Nemmer was the one who broke the silence. "There is a room over at the Rusty Nail Pub. I was just there this past week with my fellow archers and I am sure I heard the owner mention he had a spare room available." Which of course set up another flow of highly opinionated views on that suggestion. "No, I don't think that is a good idea," replied Awena. "I walked by there on my way to the council meeting and heard that the little old lady that owns the place just picked up a set of Peerrots (in the Outie world would be known as parrots) that squeal 'Rise & Shine and Git Out' every morning now. I don't think we want our guest to think we don't want him here," continued Awena. At that moment a golden coach pulled up in front of the Village Council's building. All the members stood in anticipation for the Herald to exit the coach. As he did he simple stepped down, gave everyone a cold look, paid the coach driver, and then turned towards the center of the Village as if looking for something. He then proceeded to walk off and left without a word of acknowledgement or greeting as the coach departed in the opposite direction. So, just like the Pied Piper in tales of old, the Herald continued walking down the center of the small village neither looking left nor right with the Council members (now with a few curious villagers who were wondering where the parade was going and what was it for) all following behind him. Little did they know that Aralt was focusing on the ley lines of the area. He could feel them and though it had been many many years since being here, especially without the Dragons to feed them, the lines were still here, though very faint.
"If he thinks he is staying at my castle without an invitation or greeting, I don't think so!" Ffion growled to herself as the crowd all turned towards the Shadows' Queen castle. They all continued walking down the road like a gaggle of geese following the Herald's lead as he walked into the courtyard of the Shadows' Queen's castle and proceeded to the back upper garden where several of those following soon realized it was the same garden where the young Wish Dragon had transformed into a Moon Dragon. Aralt then went past the waterfalls (that covered the entrance to the secret cave that held the Dragon tablet recently taken by a Borrower) towards a wall covered with bramble vines that grow only in a darker corner of the garden. With his arms raised and the stone in the locket glowing that he always carried with him, Aralt spoke. " Rise to the left. Shift to the right. Reveal these doors to my Sight." Magically the brambles began to pull to the left with some shifting to the right, soon a massive stone door appeared that slowly opened for him. Apparently, by everyone's stunned reaction, Aralt realized that most of these simple people didn't know about the Dragons' Cave below. He finally decided to address the crowd of followers and turned to face them. "Excuse me. This is where I'll be staying. It has been a long day. I will meet with you tomorrow," and with that walked through the now open doorway with them shutting behind him. All the villagers stood there stunned with their mouths hanging open, wondering just what had happen.
"We have also heard from King Dulbbe and Queen Ffion about the potential dangers of a ruling Wish Dragon according to the past stories of the She-Dragon," finished Griselda. Everyone looked at each other, waiting to see if someone would start the conversation they all knew had to happen. It was Awena who began. "We need to create a plan to minimize the chaos of the arrival of the Herald and the Dragon's return. I have searched the records of the Sleeping Sisters and have found nothing that will aid us in this problem. The only ancient text or prophesy that was discovered is extremely vague. The most we can confirm is that all realms are in danger if the Dragon's are no more and the game is lost. We have not found out what is meant by 'this game of power' nor what would make all of the Dragons disappear," she said and sat down on one of the many chairs in the audience chamber. "You have all heard what we have found out about the returning Dragons. Do you have any further questions of the Dragon orb?" Griselda asked the others. "If not - then now is the time we must decide what we can do. The one major question we cannot answer is does Aralt know we now have a Moon Dragon here in the Realms?" What do you think of this Dree?" finished Griselda as all turned to look at the young Moon Dragon. Dree was totally caught off guard. He had been listening to everyone's discoveries and was picturing in his mind what the other Dragons would look like and how they would act, but he had not been following the Dowager's final comments. So with a startled look he realized everyone was staring at him and waiting for his comments. After a few gulps, he finally started to speak. "Excuse me for not paying attention at everything that has been said here, but I have been listening and thinking. I understand both from your discoveries of the Orb and from the reading I have been doing from some books that Granny Flare gave to me what it meant to be a Wish Dragon. I am just now getting my wings under me in trying to find out what a Moon Dragon may be. I am hoping this Herald can help me discover what it is that I am supposed to do," he said. Taking a slow breath Dree continued, "But, I also know that he is a stranger to me while all of you are my family. I may be a Dragon, and formerly of the Wish Dragon Clan, but you have all raised me and have helped me become what I am now so you are my clan too. I do not know if there is anything I can do to prepare for the coming of my kin, but I do feel that I should learn all that I can to be prepared for their arrival," Dree told the others.
Everyone in the room stood and bowed to the young Moon Dragon to show him their support. It was almost too much for the Dragon, but he finally did look back at them all and said a simple "Thank you." It was then that the Goodie Sisters and Parsley entered the chamber and announced that the meal they had been preparing was ready... was anyone hungry? Dree started laughing and said "No, I'm Dree now - but I am still Hungry!"
As he dozed his mind wandered to his first Dragon encounter a long time in the past. It was on a walk through woods like he was traveling through now when it happened and that walk changed everything for him. Nothing young Aralt liked better than to go exploring out in the trees behind the village where he lived. Aralt grew up in a small elven community that bordered along a river where huge ancient trees surrounded it. It was with those trees that Aralt learned many things. For the trees were his tutors and their grove was his school ground as well as where he played. One day he came across this little creature. He looked snake-like but it also had a large head and legs. His curiosity was stronger than being safe for he bent down and picked up the strange creature and started to stroke it.
The spring soon gave way to summer and as fall approached with it's every changing colors, Aralt spent what few free hours he had with the Dragon as his studies with the trees continued. He was now up to the study of the language of Runes. As the trees taught him about them they would tell him where to go to see the Runes for each had a purpose for where it was placed. He decided to follow the dirt path it was near to see what he would discover and maybe learn more about it's meaning. As he continued down the path, another Rune appeared and then another. What Aralt did not know at that time was that he had discovered the pathway for Dragonet's to find their way home after being born. Dragons were like salmon, for after being born each needed to return home to become the Dragon it was meant to be. Home to a Dragon was returning to a Dragon community, for only there would they learn their part in the magic or they would be destined to become a mere dragon again as before they were changed by the Nyte Shade. When Aralt realized that the strange creature he had discovered earlier in the year, now his closest friend, was actually a Dragonet and that it wouldn't evolve or change unless it was able to follow this river back to its home he knew what he needed to do. So it was with a sad heart that the next day he placed his little Dragonet into the stream by the path so it could continue its journey home that had been interrupted when the elven boy discovered and befriended it. But it wasn't long into the stream when the Dragonet remembered the love the boy had given it which was stronger than the call to return home. It decided to stay the way it was and remain with the boy, forsaking the calling. It turned back to the elven boy and they agreed they would stay together. Little did they know that this one simple act sent a ripple through the Dragon's world. For no Dragonet had ever not returned since receiving the magic from the Nyte Shade. This was unacceptable! One day as Aralt and his friend where playing outside, two golden and very tall Dragons carrying spears in their hands appeared. They came upon the Dragonet playing with Aralt, picked it up and simply walked away towards the path with the rune never to be seen again by the surprised young elf.
It was those mornings where he could enjoy his drink in silence that helped focus and energize him. "I still have those blasted chimes going off in my head," grumbled Aralt. "I just might need a double shot this morning," he thought to himself. "Dragon's will be the death of me yet," he growled as he continuing drinking. It wasn't as if Aralt talked to himself more than anyone else. It was that since he was a herald, he found out long ago that he talked out loud more than others. "So what if I talk out loud," he told himself, "it's not like I hear strange voices telling me what to do." The problem was that occasionally he did hear voices in his head. Dragon voices. "It's all because of that emerald," he told himself as he was deciding what to wear and what else to pack for the journey. "I better check to make sure I have packed the emerald dragon heart," he reminded himself.
While she had been trying to buy Aralt's favor, she didn't realize she had actually given him the perfect portal for controlling her Dragons. "If that cantankerous old she-demon of a Wish Dragon only knew what her bribe did," smiled Aralt. For every Dragon had their pile of gold to sleep on knowing that gold was a perfect conduit for magical energy to pass through. It was this extra power that also increased Aralt's mind-talking ability to her dominions giving him the ability to persuade them. "I am the only thing that keeps these Dragons from creating total chaos and havoc in the Realms," he told himself each time he used the corolla and the Dragon Heart stone together. "And I am the only one who knows what's best for them too," he said as he took one last took in his room and started out the door with his packed bags.
Ffion gave him a quick glare and then realized that the orb did not immediately go into its standard response of "Your question is incomplete..." Returning her gaze back to the orb, it stopped flashing and began to speak. "The Herald, Aralt, is preparing his travels now and will return to this Realm before the Dragons arrive. Once he has returned the Dragons will be able to follow his path." "How long will that take?" asked Ffion to the orb. "The Herald will arrive soon. How long after that for the Dragons to arrive will depend on what the Herald does to summon them," the orb answered.
He could see the consternation on Ffion's face, but she was her father's daughter and he had taught her well about being a ruler. The people of her realm must come first. "You are right," she answered. "I am sorry... but I worry so about my father and I miss him so!" she said with a tear at the corner of one eye. It was at that moment that Dulbbe wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her but still he hesitated. "I still am just a bookkeeper," he thought to himself. "I will one day be worthy." Turning to the orb, Dulbbe asked his next question. "Tell us what you can about this Herald."
Ffion and Dulbbe looked a little confused at each other as neither had ever heard about this Herald before. They were both surprised also to hear that a Wish Dragon was the ruler of Dragons. Before Dulbbe asked his next question, Ffion asked hers. "I thought Dragons did not have a ruler per se. How did a Wish Dragon become their ruler?" "The Wish Dragon is the most powerful Dragon until a Moon Dragon is born. No Moon Dragons exist," the orb answered. Startled by this information, Dulbbe and Ffion both looked at each other thinking the same thought. Dree, who was a Wish Dragon before his recent transformation, was now a Moon Dragon. As the orb continued, both listened intently on what it was telling them. "The Herald helps the ruling Wish Dragon in keeping the continuity of the magic the Dragons use so as not to disrupt the harmony of all. In the beginning when dragons first received their magical powers and became mystical Dragons, they did not control what magics they did. Many mundane and magicals were hurt and destroyed. The Wish Dragons were among the mightiest of all magic welders! They could grant wishes that could change anything. The consequences of many of these granted wishes are still present here in the Realms." Both Dulbbe and Ffion knew that this was information that the others needed to know right away. If the Dragons were really returning and a Wish Dragon would be their leader this would be a whole new world for them to return to. For they did not know that a Moon Dragon now existed. Also how would this change things for Dree (a.k.a. Hungry), the newly wet behind the ears Moon Dragon? "You keep the orb talking," Ffion told Dulbbe as she headed towards the doorway. "I will send a flutterby to the Dowager and Awena. They need to know what we have found out."
"Her growling at the orb won't solve the problem," he thought to himself since he knew better than to say it out loud. "You stupid thing! If you know where my father is - tell me!" she hollered at the glowing green orb. The only response she received was "Your question is incomplete. What knowledge do you seek?" "Queen Ffion, how about if I attempt something," Dulbbe asked. Ffion just waved her hands at the orb as if dismissing it and stepped back. "Okay !! See if you can get this stupid thing to work," she told him.
"Is the Shadows' King safe?" he asked the Dragon face in the orb. "Safe is a perspective concept. What knowledge do you seek?" answered the orb. "At least we are getting partially somewhere," Dulbbe muttered to himself before changing his next question slightly. "Does the Shadows' King have a way to find his way back to this castle?" It took a minute and the orb flashed bright green several times before answering. "Yes," said the orb. Before Ffion could interrupt, Dulbbe asked his next question. "Is there anyone with him that can help him to return and who are they?" Again, but taking a bit longer to respond, the orb answered. "Yes. A Spite and a Dragon." Dulbbe knew that The CAT was Hungry's (oops - Dree's) Spite, but another Dragon was helping the Shadows' King? "That was interesting indeed!" mused Dulbbe. But then he remembered, as he was so focused on wanting to have Ffion appreciate him, that they were here to see what information they could find about the Dragons returning.
"What!!!" cried Ffion as she stepped back up to the orb and peered into its glow. "Your question is incomplete. What knowledge do you seek?" answered the orb.
While Efem and the Dowager Griselda were working to find out more information about Aralt the Herald, others were following up in another direction. But Dulbbe being the multi-tasker that he was also was thinking of Queen Ffion and how much he adored her. "When I was a bookkeeper, it was a distant dream," he thought, "but as a King, who knows?" Because of this, Dulbbe was taking every opportunity to cement the relationship between the new Shadows' Queen and the Troll Kingdom. This meant that he would find some pretense to visit the Queen's castle every chance he got. One day it would be for something he forgot in his old rooms and the next day it was because he wanted to maybe borrow a book to read. It was the book idea that reminded him about another opportunity he could use to help on the Dragon's return.
It was the 'we' that made Dulbbe smile. "She thinks of us as a 'we'," he happily thought with a dreamy look. "It was in the library," Dulbbe answered as he gazed at Ffion with a sappy smile. "In Room 101."
"Did the orb glow green?" she asked Dulbbe as she passed through a doorway. Surprised for a moment from her question, the Troll King stopped in his tracks and looked at her back as she continued walking to the library. Realizing she was not going to stop, he hurried to catch up with her "How do you know that?" Dulbee asked. "I delivered a meal to my father before everything happened and he was yelling at a green glowing orb with a picture of a Dragon's head in it," she answered. "I forgot all about it until you mentioned the room that he was in. Room 101." As they neared the room, it was Dulbbe who noticed the green glow emanating from under the door. "It must still be there," thought Dulbbe. Ffion quickly opened the door and stepped in with Dulbbe following. "I found the orb on the third shelf in row four..." said Dulbbe but as he entered the room and looked towards the shelf, he realized it was no longer there. It had been placed on a ledge near the doorway by the King when Awena and the Dowager had told him that the Dragon tablet was on it's way to the castle carried by a Borrower apparently forgotten. Ffion picked it up and walked towards a table to set it on. As she placed it down, she turned to Dulbbe. "How does it work?" she asked.
As Ffion waited for it to say more, the orb only continued to glow. Exasperated, she growled, "What to you mean 'yes'?" The only response she got was "Your question is incomplete. What knowledge do you seek?" Dulbbe knew that this was going to take a little time...
The Root Connection ran deep and far. The only problem was that it was slow. Most messages sent via the Root Connection were answered by some other service like the Flutterbys or the Bee-Gs since this connection was even slower than Snailmail. The only reason anyone used this approach was that the Root Connection's knowledge ran very very deep. The ancient Yew was thousands of years old and had heard lots of gossip (news) in it's many years. This is what Efem needed. "Knowledge from the past," she mumbled to herself as she walked to the stone platform in the center of the grove and stood, waiting for the trees to acknowledge her. Sometimes she had to wait days for the trees to notice her as their world ran a little slower than hers. "At least I am not trying to talk to rocks," thought Efem. "I am sure I would be waiting longer," she figured, "but then again, I wonder what we would talk about? Would I take what they say for 'granite'?" snickered Efem as she thought about how many other puns that would fit in the conversation. "I wonder if the rocks would even notice the puns?" It was as she was thinking about rock puns, that the Willow spoke to her. Surprised because they have never noticed her this quickly before, she bowed her head and waited. "Efem, we knew you would not be late... Your coming here, was it just desperation or fate?" The question caught her by surprise making her forget the questions she had made up on her way to the Grove. "Desperation or Fate? What did the Willow mean and how should she answer?" Efem wondered. It seemed like a long time that she thought about the question, and maybe it was, but the Willow did not seem to notice. Finally, Efem knew what she had to answer. "Great Elder..." she started but stopped when the leaves of the Willow started shaking and a giggle could be heard on the wind.
"Great Willow maybe it is both fate or desperation... but with the Grove's help and ancient knowledge, maybe you will be able to give me the much needed information," answered Efem. With this answer the ancient Yew spoke, surprising Efem as she had never heard it talk before. Usually it would sit and listen and in the many years she had been a Tree Mother visiting the Grove, this was the first time it ever spoke. "The time is coming that a great change may occur. We do not know if the return of the Dragons is what starts the change, but they are players in the game." It took Efem a minute to realize that the Yew had spoken plainly and not in rhyme or verse. "You spoke plainly. Why have none of you done this before?" she asked. "We did it because we thought that is what you wanted. It's a nuisance to have to make everything rhyme like the Wishing Well," answered the ancient Yew. "Do you want us to go back to rhyming?" "No... uhm... no thank you. I would prefer this way. Now, can you tell me more about this game that is being started and how the Dragons may be part of it?" as Efem sat down on the stone platform figuring this was going to be a long visit and happy that she remembered to pack a few things in her satchel.
Now she could focus on the real problem. She realized what she needed to do. "I should have thought of this earlier," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe it's time to talk to the trees. After all they were here when the Dragons were plentiful. As a Tree Mother, I should have thought of this before now," Efem continued to herself. " I will make time now to go to the Sacred Grove." Earlier, before Nemmer delivered his good news, Efem had received a Flutterby from the Dowager. Griselda told her about the scroll and how she had seen the Herald named Aralt in her vision. "I'm old, but even I don't remember anyone named Aralt," Efem thought. "Maybe this Herald can help us when the Dragons arrive." Now that she had a plan, Efem started her preparations. "One doesn't just walk into the Sacred Grove and ask questions." she mumbled to herself as she started looking for some necessary items. "First I need a small satchel bag to carry everything."
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GreetingsWelcome to my blog. This is where I will reveal the magic of my Fae and their stories and share with you some of the success and pitfalls through the journey of doll making, sculpting, and other crafts that all come back to my dolls in many ways. Archives
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