"If we don't get at least one mis-enchanted return, then we are going to have to find something with a little more kick that makes these Dragons belch," he continued. Thinking about what that might be just made Allspice smile. "What indeed could we feed a Dragon to make him really burp and yet keep down the flames?" he asked Nutmegg but knew that he would not really get a useful answer. It was one of those discussions that always became more fanciful the more they passed it back and forth. "I was thinking of something the 'Outies' call Rootbeer. Supposedly it gives you lots of gas but I can't ever seem to find anyone who knows what roots to use." "Let's see. After Aralt left, I decided to check out the area where Aralt said he first had met the Dragon named Dree. He had mentioned it was at the caves by the water. Since many of the caves here are by a stream or some small amount of water, that wasn't really helpful so I decided to choose what was the biggest body of water and start from there. Also my choice was a little bit based on if there were anyone else living nearby the caves. After meeting a couple of talkative Wysps who bragged about some of their 'good' deeds, I found that the Dragon was living in the caves near this small lake. These caves are also tucked back beneath a place they call the Baron's Mansion. I decided to check it out and spent a while searching through the caves. It is a good spot to hide as there are many tunnels leading to other locations and was hard to find where the young Dragon lived." Since Allspice did not ask any questions, Nutmegg continued. "Finally, I heard some talking and managed to follow the voices until I came across a large opening. There were a couple of privacy screens, a few piles of pillows, and a couple of large stacks of books. Sitting on the pillows was a large white rat and the Dragon I had been looking for. The Dragon and rat were talking about some meeting they needed to get back to. Apparently they were taking a break and now needed to go back to this Baron's Mansion to talk with some oracle." "That's terrific!" exclaimed Allspice. "Now we know where he is if needed before Aralt and Siate' find him. The question is, what do we do now?"
"Well boss, I kinda told them all about SPICE and the problems with Wish Dragons' wishes going bad. This seemed to bother the young Dragon a lot but I don't know why... Otherwise it seems they want to meet with you at the Baron's Mansion if you will come so they can talk with you. Whatcha think? Should we go?" asked Nutmegg. When Allspice told Nutmegg to do his detective work on the young Dragon, this was not what he had expected, but sometimes it is the unexpected that works out better than the plan... "Why not. Help me dampen the brewing fires and roll this barrel of Ambrosia over to the store room. Then you can take me to the Baron's Mansion and we will find out what they know. Maybe we will find the answer to how to take away a Wish Dragons ability to make wishes," Allspice answered as he started putting away his cooking utensils.
0 Comments
Faun decided to let the wind guide her to any nearby flower patch. So when the winds from the mountains brushed past her sensitive nose, she followed them to the Valley of the Caves. Normally the fauns did not travel to this valley as they don't really like being underground and can't see a reason to want to be. "Ugh - caves!" Faun thought as she traveled past the first of the caves in the mountain side. It was then that she caught a whiff of a daisy. "Theres one. Now to find it," she told herself. As she came around a group of large boulders and a few fallen trees, she spotted the daisy patch. Smiling to herself, she plucked a petal and slowly chewed on it before swallowing. "Just right," she thought as she pulled out her map of the valley and marked the spot for others to be able to find the patch.
"Ah... no. I thought they were wild and just need a few for something I am baking up for my friends. Is it okay if I have some?" Allspice asked the faun. The look that Allspice had as if he was a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar made Faun laugh before she answered. "No, these are wild and are available to anyone. My name is Faun. Do you live near here?" Allspice smiled at the faun and also introduced himself. "I am Allspice and my kitchen is in that big cave over there," he told her as he pointed to one of the caves on the mountainside. Would you like to see my kitchen?" Faun just shuddered thinking of being underground so she politely declined. "Well, I must be getting back to my kitchen. It was a pleasure to meet you Faun," Allspice said as he started back to his cave while the faun watched him go. It was then that Faun noticed some other movement in the bushes near another cave. As she watched, there appeared a young Dragon! Now Faun had met Dree earlier and knew what the Dragon looked like. Then just as quickly she realized something. "That's not Dree!"
"Very good sir," Fiddlefaddle answered as he left the room while the others looked around the room to figure out where to sit. Dree went straight to the pile of pillows that the Dowager now left out for him when he visited, Drat sat in a chair closest to the doorway (as was his habit since he always was watching for escape routes), as Arnie nervously stood not knowing where she should sit as rarely was a 'Borrower' invited into such an elegant room. The Dowager had been watching her since they had entered the room and had quickly realized the situation. "Sit down here besides me dear," she told Arnie. "You are welcome in our home for you are one of our friends now." As Arnie warily moved to the indicated chair and began to sit, the Dowagers question really surprised her. Enough to make her stand back up!
When word gets out, I think you will be very busy." As Drat had been listening to the conversation (as again was his habit of eavesdropping which was one of the requirements of his job for the Troll King), he noticed a couple of small tears forming in the former Borrower's eyes before she sat down near the Dowager. The Dowager's question did not get an answer, but Arnie did say 'thank you' very quietly. "As we wait for the tea and snacks, who wants to tell us what happened with Hir'aeth?" asked the Baron as he looked over to address Drat. "By the way Drat, King Dulbbe has already told us about your mission and is on his way here to meet with you." Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the rat (as well as Arnie) both looked over at Dree to see if he would start. Feeling their gaze, the dragon smiled to himself and began the tale of their adventure. "Drat and I asked Arnie to join us as we figured having a professional 'finder' would improve our chances. It did and without her we may never have had an audience with the Gooblin King." As the tea and cookies arrived, Dree went on to tell of how they met with the King, was granted a favor by him for a favor to be repaid later, and the discovery of the 'scroll'. "Have you read the scroll?" asked the Baron when Dree was finished. "That is the problem," the Dragon replied. "It is not a scroll but a device that only I can hear when I ask it questions." Now that did surprise everyone since Dree had not told his traveling companions either. "You mean you have been talking to it since we found it," asked Drat. "Well... Yes and no. It talked to me when we entered the last treasure room with the Gooblin King. It was a voice that came to me telling me what to say to Hir'aeth. It wasn't until later that I realized that only I could hear it," answered the Wish Dragon. "I did not want you both to think I was going loony and talking to myself until I got the chance to figure what was going on." "And what have you figured out," asked the Dowager. It took a minute before Dree responded since he wanted to be precise but was still slightly reluctant to tell everyone everything since he was not sure about some of it himself. "It appears the device was made by the only other Moon Dragon to have existed. It was told to remember everything it had seen or heard from when it was with the Moon Dragon and after they were separated. I still don't know what happened to the other Moon Dragon and I have not had a chance to ask IT about by my kin who departed this realm," answered Dree.
"The landscape looks the same in all directions, so I have as much of a chance finding others or a way out no matter which direction I chose to go," he thought. "I am going to close my eyes, spin around in a circle and when I stop that would be the direction I will go," he decided. Planting the heel of one boot on the ground and starting his spin, he was reminded of how he got his name. "Lil' Boots indeed," he smiled at the memory. It had been during the time of the Wish Dragons when wishes had been granted willy nilly making strange things starting to happen. One day he had been sitting on a tree branch when out of no where a cat appeared. This was not an ordinary cat as it wore a tunic, carried a small sword, and had on a pair of large boots on its back feet! The little fae was used to cats walking on all fours, but this cat stood erect and walked like one of the Outies that had came to the realm. At first the cat was too distracted to notice the little fairy in the tree as it was wailing that it needed to get home to help his master, the 'Marquis of Carabas'.
"Hello," he said as he hovered over the unsuspecting cat. "Do you need help?" The startled cat looked all over but did not see anyone! "Where are you?" it asked. "Look up," was the reply he received. As the cat peered upwards, it was startled to find a fairy floating in the air over it's head. "I must have hit my head," the cat muttered to himself. "Do you need help?" the fae asked again. Back home, this cat was known to think fast and quickly realized that any help he could get was better than no help so it replied, "I need to get back to my master's castle before the ogre returns." "That's easy," answered the little fae as he held up the portal stone and told the cat to look through the hole and think about where it wanted to go. In an instant the cat could see the castle. "I see it, now what?" he asked the fae. "Just tell yourself that is where you want to be, but make sure that you pick the spot you want to appear or you might find yourself in a tree or pond," answered the fae. Before the cat disappeared though, he wanted to give the fae a gift. It was the cat's most precious possession... his boots. From that day forward, the little fae had picked his name. He was now Lil' Boots! As Lil' Boots stopped spinning, his mind was clearer and he realized that he was in the same predicament as the cat those many years ago. "Now to find someone who can help me get out of this place," thought Lil' Boots as he also wished he had not yet returned that portal stone to the Brownie who had lost it.
"With that, I will now be able to serve him again." Time was not something Oracle felt as the Oracle did not age nor had It become less powerful. Time was only a tool for It to learn more to aid his Moon Dragon master. "There is so much my Master does not know that I shall be able to tell him from during our time apart," realized Oracle. "That must be why he was testing me." Deciding that It's assumptions must be correct since Tun'Gul was the only Moon Dragon. "For he did create me to be aware of challenges and tests in my purpose of gaining knowledge," as the Oracle thought about his Master. The problem with Oracle's assumption was that no matter how much information It collected, It could not reason out that there might exist another Moon Dragon and how that Dragon could come to be... While Oracle waited for It's Master to ask another question, It decided to review the time before they had become separated just in case It was tested again. "It was shortly after when the Dragons decided to leave the Realm and travel to other safer lands," It remembered. The thought of why they had separated never once entered Oracle's mind for It did not have any emotions to feel the Dragon's lost connect. Emotions were not something that the Moon Dragon had bestowed upon It. Oracle was given pure logic and the ability to remember in detail events that It had observed from It's beginning to now. Oracle could surmise the purpose of everything and could compute what events might lead to what outcomes, but could not read minds of any other than his Master (and only then when allowed). The only conundrum with Oracle was that It was aware of a problem that It could not understand. Maybe that was because It had been out of communication with It's Master for so long or maybe It was malfunctioning. Oracle could not determine which...
Which requires me (as the dollmaker) to place the plaster inside his head to cover the back of his eyes that are only being held temporarily in place with wax. Then needing to place the head upside down so the plaster dries in place and not slide off deeper into the head well.
Lil Boots - "I am feeling a little stronger and more connected to my body. After all, we are the only ones that know our body and how we feel." Now it is time for me to finish up his body and move to the next stage of dressing him. I can't wait to hear more of his story as he comes alive for me and hope you enjoy our experience together as well.
"I cannot hear your random thoughts Master unless you focus them towards me like you have just done. But why do you ask these odd questions as you are the one who made me as I am?" the voice answered in the Dragon's head. With this answer, Dree almost stumbled over a tree root. He realized that it was extremely difficult to have this conversation, walk on an uneven trail, and also keep an eye on his two friends ahead of him so they did not think he was "loony-tune" (as the 'Outies' would say) talking to himself. Then the whisper of the smell of bakery ovens invaded his sensitive nose as he quickly formed a plan.
"Sure Dree. Take a seat," said Drat as he pointed to a large boulder, "and we will be back shortly with something to munch on." Soon Arnie and Drat were down the trail and out of the Dragon's sight. Quickly Dree opened the bag and looked inside. "It looks like a large coin," thought Dree as he pulled it from the bag. "Are you there?" asked Dree out loud to the trinket. "I am," the voice replied in Dree's mind. "I think we need to talk," started the Dragon. "I did not make you and I do not know your name." For several minutes Dree just sat and stared at the trinket before swallowing and asking what he thought was the most important question of the thousand bouncing around in his mind. "Can you tell me more about your master, the Moon Dragon?" "Ah, a test," responded the trinket. "As it has been so long since you have used me, you want to see if I still remember. Very good. You are Tun'Gul, the only Dragon to become a Moon Dragon. You conquered the Ogers (relatives to what the 'Outies' call Ogres who are just as large and smelly as their cousins) when others could not. You are the discoverer of the portals between realms and have created objects that can see through time." After a short pause, the voice said one more thing and then stopped. "You are the Dragon Supreme." Working hard not to direct his thoughts towards the trinket, Dree made a decision as he heard his friends returning. "Thank you," he told the trinket. "As we have not talked in a long time and I feel like I am meeting an old friend after so many changes, I think it is best to reacquaint ourselves. I am now known as Dree. How would you like to be addressed?" "Welcome back Master Dree," the voice answered. "I would like you to continue to call me Oracle."
"After all, a secret is no longer a secret if everyone knows about it," Dree reminded his friends. "And each of us should be allowed our personal secrets when they hurt no others." Arnie did not have a problem with this as she kept many secrets herself, especially as a 'Borrower' of somebody else's stuff. Drat, on the other hand, being the chief minion for the Troll King, had a few misgivings about keeping secrets from his boss. "Think of this way," Dree had told him, "Once we help the Gooblin King obtain his secret desire, then it won't be a secret anymore and you can tell King Dulbbe all about it." Finally Drat agreed. The real surprise about the secret to Dree was that even though Hir'aeth thought Dree knew all along what it was because of his one word answer, Dree was just as in the dark about what was the secret as his friends. "If whatever is in the bag hadn't told me what to say, we would all probably be sitting in a deep dark dungeon by now," thought Dree. He knew that it would have been a short stay since the Gooblin King didn't keep prisoners for very long. But still sitting in any dank, dark, musty, spider covered cell would not have been fun no matter how long one was in it. "I wonder what is in this bag?" Dree pondered while Arnie and Drat were heavily discussing any ideas they could come up with on how to fulfill Hir'aeth's desire. "I am in the bag Master," came a voice that only Dree could hear. "I have waited long for you to find me. How may I serve you?"
"I understand," the voice replied in the Dragon's head. "I will only hear the thoughts you send when you first speak my name or hold me close as you are doing so now." "But I don't know your name," realized Dree. "I don't even know what you are!" "But Master, you are the one who made me... How could you not know my name?" the voice asked sounding very confused. It was then that the others interrupted Dree's silent conversation with the trinket in the bag. "I was just telling Arnie that I explained to the Gooblin King about the current Dragon issue and their return to the Realm of Wymsy. I am glad he agreed that his desire can wait until we have taken care of that situation. Are you ready to go?" Drat asked Dree. Dree glanced once more at the bag in his claw and decided this was not the best place to continue his 'private' conversation with the trinket. "Yes, we need to tell the others what we have discovered." When Hir'aeth returned to the throne room, Dree approached the king as Gooblin King sat on his throne and requested permission for them to depart.
"Had possibly Siate' and the other Dragons chosen another Herald to replace me since I did not leave with them on their exodus?" Aralt thought. "I need to listen to more of what they are saying," he decided before exposing himself to them.
Apparently the Ambrosia was the key, but in the time that he tried to overhear their conversation, he could not figure out how it worked. When finally the Herald thought he had learned what he could, he quietly snuck back to the entrance of the cave and then turned around and started making as much noise as he could by calling out loudly if there was anyone home. That brought the two bakers outside and to him where he figured he had the advantage and could watch both of them easier. "Can I assist you?" asked the short heavy baker. "I am Allspice and this is my friend, Nutmegg." "I am looking for a young Dragon with the name of Dree. Have you seen him or maybe know where he is?" asked Aralt. Allspice and Nutmegg just stood and stared at Aralt saying nothing until the Herald realized that he had not introduced himself. "I am Aralt," was all he said as he did not want them to know about his relationship with the Dragons. What Aralt did not know was that Allspice had already seen him with Siate' and had already told Nutmegg.
When Aralt was out of site, Nutmegg turned to Allspice. "Now we know where this 'Dree' lives. I think I need to go check it out," Nutmegg said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Are you good here to continue without me for a while?" Allspice nodded and laughed. He could always tell when "the detective bug" had hit Nutmegg. "Go. I will be fine," Allspice answered as he laughed again and headed back into the cave to start another batch of Ambrosia.
What was special about this year's celebration was that the Baron and his mother, the dowager Griselda, were hosting the Harvest Event at the Baron's Mansion. As the Baron was discussing the seating arrangements with Snoop since both were nobility in their own ways, the dowager was directing their servants Fiddlefaddle and Sneefle in their duties. "Now don't forget, today you will be serving our guests more than you will be catering to my son's or my needs," she reminded them over and over again.
Meanwhile, Granny Flare was busy in the kitchens in the back of the mansion making sure that everything would be ready for the feast. As she checked each item as it was prepared, Gardner was bringing in the fresh vegetables and fruit that he had grown specially for just this occasion. "Here is the last of it," he told Granny as he set the heavy crate down on the kitchen floor. "Is there anything else you need brought in?" he asked as he stood besides a large boiling pot and enjoying the wonderous aroma that it was making. Granny just smiled as she gave him a couple of the hot pumpkin spice cookies that had just come out of an oven and shooed him outside as she told him to come back in a couple of hours. "By then I will know if I need anything else," she told him.
In the grand ballroom Efem, Cornelia, Parsley, and Nemmer were busy cleaning and setting up the decorations. The dusty mytes were being extra careful (and under the watchful eye of Nemmer) to only suck in the dust as they cleaned instead of blowing any out. "All we need is for them to make everyone forget today," Nemmer thought as he kept one eye on them while he was helping with the decorations. And finally, there were many more helping outside in preparing for the arrival of those who were invited. Since everyone in the Realm was on the guest list except for the Wysps (who would show up invited or not if whoever held the leadership stick felt like it), that meant that a lot of chairs, tables, and tenting was needing to be setup. Dewin, the wizard, was using his magic to have the folding chairs unfold and stand up where he directed while Scarlet was watching over the Nytemares as they dragged in the tables and large tents. So, as all of those who live in the Realm of Wymsy prepare for this thanksgiving feast, we at MisPlace Dolls would like to thank all of you on this Thanksgiving Holiday as we come together to celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving!
|
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
February 2025
Categories
All
|