The first to arrive was Awena which the Dowager was very glad to see. Griselda had quickly grabbed her and took her down into the depths of the library where the Shadows' King had been holed up for the past several days.
As they approached their destination, a green glow was emanating from under the door to room 101. When they knocked they had already decided not to wait for an answer and rushed in before the King could refuse seeing them. What they saw was a surprise! Both spied the King sitting on a low stool with his head in his hands. His clothes, normally clean and spotless, were rumpled and dirty. His hair stuck out in all directions, no longer combed and braided, but the part that shocked them the most was the defeated look in his eyes. As they rushed to his side to find out what ailed him, the Dowager was first to speak. "What is it King Hunter?" she asked as Awena placed her hands on his slumped shoulders. Awena could feel the tension and frustration that was floating around the King but also something she thought she would never see in him. She could feel his despair! Slowly the King looked up at them and in a weary voice asked, "What do you know about the Dragon tablet?" "Very little," the Dowager replied. "Other than what the flutterby just shared with me a little while ago. It has been located and coming here by way of a Borrower as well as with your faithful Scribe, Dulbbe." "Then there is hope!" murmured the King. Slowly he stood up with a little wobble since he truly hadn't eaten much in days. He placed the silk cover over the green glowing crystal ball that had been beside him. While he was doing this, the Dowager was sharing that she had felt the need to assemble everyone in the King's garden, while she was apologizing that she had used his personal messengers the Nytemares. The King nodded to her as he picked up the crystal ball and proceeded to leave the library room. "I agree," answered the King. Appearing to gain strength from all that he was hearing from the Griselda, he continued, "We will all assemble in the garden as soon as everyone is here, especially Hungry. He is the key element and now it seems is his time. I had hoped to give him more time by sending him to his teachers when he first arrived in the Shadows' Realm. When the tablet had been taken, it started the process and whether or not he is ready, it seems that Hungry will now be coming into his power."
King Hunter, the Shadows' King, lead everyone out into his garden and then down a trail and through a veil of hanging vines that parted as the participants approached. Hidden inside was a secluded garden of Moonflowers which surrounded a small stone bench in the center. The night was black with the new moon and only a handful of dimly shining stars were in the sky but everyone could see the white trail of stones that lead through the Moonflowers and surrounded it. "Hungry, would you please sit yourself on the stone bench in the center of the garden?" asked King Hunter while directing the others to stand in a circle around the bench and the now seated Dragon. "Arnie, as I understand it, you have my tablet?" asked Hunter to the Borrower who was trying to hide behind some of the others in the circle. With a bowed head, Arnie approached the King while offering the tablet in her hands. "It is the one time I am sorry that I 'borrowed' something Sire Sir," Arnie meekly replied. Hunter gently took the tablet from her hands. "You are forgiven, for it was all part of the prophecy and you were just the element that sparked the beginning of it," the King told her. He then turned to Awena of the Sleeping Sisters and asked, "Did you bring the Blue Rose with the Tear that your Order has been watching over for eons?"
"No, Awena, Please hand it to me," the king replied. With the Dragon tablet and now the rose in his hand, King Hunter approached Hungry. "Do you trust me?" asked the King to the lil' Dragon. As Hungry looked up into his eyes he could see a great sadness in them but he could also feel an over whelming sense of peace and love. "I don't know you well Sir, but I do trust you," Hungry replied. "Then eat the rose," the King commanded as he handed it to the Wish Dragon. Hungry replied, "That should not be a problem for I am forever hungry and sure could use a little snack right now. Is it sweet? I do love sweet things, especially from the Sugar Plum factory." The King nodded his head and told Hungry that he wouldn't be hungry afterwards. Hungry ate the rose. As he started chewing, he closed his eyes savoring the sweet taste and the lovely smell of the magic ambrosia. Then he burped. It had come from his tummy where a little spark had arisen while he chewed the flower. It had floated up his throat and out his mouth as he burped. The spark continued to rise and was quickly hovering over his head where it grew bigger and brighter. Larger and brighter it grew like a shining star in the sky. The light was almost turning this dark night into day with it's glow and then all of a sudden it burst! Sparks flew everywhere causing those standing around the Wish Dragon to shield their eyes and turn their heads away. When they turned back to look at Hungry, the Dragon tablet laid on the ground, the Shadows' King was gone, and a huge crystal orb was in the middle of the garden where the Wish Dragon had been sitting. As everyone was examining the crystal orb, the others did not notice as the Troll King quickly picked up the tablet and slide it under his crown.
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It had been several days since Hunter, the Shadows' King, had disappeared into room 101 of his library. Meals were even being sent down to him, left at the door, and later empty trays were picked up - so everyone knew he was still there, but what was he doing? "One of the servants reported seeing a green glow coming from under the door where they were leaving the trays," remembered the Dowager. "I wonder what he is doing?"
"So, Hir'aeth has told Hungry about the Dragon tablet. I wonder what his game is to be offering it to Hungry if he gets it? Doesn't sound like him at all," she thought. As she was thinking about all of the things the flutterby had told her, a knock sounded at her door. Crossing the room again, she opened the door to find one of the castle servants there informing her that the Princess would like to see her when convenient in her sitting room. Deciding that now was as good as time as any, Griselda followed the servant.
Griselda figured that the King knew more than he had been saying, but how much to tell Ffion was the quandary. After a short pause, she made her decision and told the princess some of what she knew. "I have heard that it is rumored that a Borrower has found an ancient Dragon tablet. What it is in the tablet I have not heard, but that there are several who are looking to get it has been mentioned." Deciding that now probably was the best opportunity she would get, Griselda continued, "Do you know what is in the tablet or why it is so important?"
"Awena was right in part," she realized, "but even the Sleeping Sisters do not know the whole story it appears." When Ffion finished, the expression in her eyes were both of hope and dread as she stared at Griselda and waited for her to say something. Hope that the Dowager could help her and dread that there was no hope. Immediately the Dowager smiled and took the princess' hand and as if reading her mind and replied, "There is always hope. Don't despair. This is something I should have done right away and have put off for too long. First, we must send some messages by the fastest means you have available. Flutterby would take too long, so we need the speed of the Nytemares! Go send for the King's farrier, Scarlet, while I write the messages. After he sends them off, you and I will go and see the Shadows' King!"
"You must make this right," Goodiegood had told her. "What will be served all depends on your preparations now." Before Arnie could ask her questions or say "Why me?", Goodie2shues added her two sheckles worth. "Where you take the Dragon tablet will set the table." Not to be left out as they were pushing Arnie out of the door, Goodie4u finished by saying, "Sometimes you must wash the dishes before you can dine again." "Grrrhh," the Borrower thought, "I hate these cooking references! It might mean a lot to them but it doesn't tell me a thing." Still waiting for her when she had left the Goodies were her other three traveling companions too. It was the Wysp who spoke first as it bobbed around in the air in front of Arnie. "What did you take? Can you show me? Do you think they forgive me? Let's go do something?" Ignoring the Wysp (which wasn't easy as it kept flying up to the Borrower's face), Arnie started to tell Dulbbe and Drat some of what the Sisters had shared with her. She realized though that she could not trust either of them completely as they must have designs of their own about the Dragon tablet. "Just how much they know and what do they really want," she thought as she continued to travel the path.
"I don't know if we should be so hasty... hmmm. I know the Shadows' King is currently busy with a problem of his own and something as small as this might only be a distraction to him. I suggest we go and see my boss, the Troll King. He knows something about magical items since he has been collecting them for years. He isn't very far from here and I can get you right in to see him. You might have to wait a while before the Shadows' King is available." It was at that moment Arnie and her fellow travelers arrived at the crossroad in the path to take them whichever direction she decided. This was the moment that could possibly change the Realms forever. "Where to go," the Borrower thought. It was then that she remembered the last thing that Goodiegood had said, "You must make this right." "Dulbbe, if we go to the Shadows' King, can you get me in right away to see him?"
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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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