"How do I do that?" she had asked herself a thousand times and still did not have a good answer. She thought that planting her feet in the dirt was not what the crystal had meant. Thinking about the crystal, she patted one of the many inside pockets of her cloak to just check to make sure it was still there. Arnie still could not believe that Awena had given it to her. "You may need it in your search and it has aligned to you now," the Sleeping Sister had told her. Realizing that she needed to ask someone, Arnie approached Awena and asked if she could have a minute alone. Awena gestured to a large bush away from the others and as they approached Arnie noticed a small bench which they could sit. After sitting, Arnie told Awena that the crystal told her that she needed to be grounded for the search to succeed but she did not know what that really meant. "I mean, the closest thing to grounding I know of is being in a cave under the ground," she said.
Almost before Awena had completed the question, Arnie blurted out that her doubts were about herself. "Why did the crystal pick me? I am a nobody!" Again Awena just smiled and shook her head from side-to-side. "No Arnie, if you were a nobody then you would not have been worthy of the crystal. I see a Borrower who has changed to a Finder. I see a person who has walked the path of being alone to now traveling with friends. I see someone who only thought for themself and now is concerned about others. Arnie, for you to be grounded, you must come to the realization that you are worthy of the choices you must make." Saying that, Awena stood and started back to the others who were waiting for the journey to begin.
The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
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The crystal did not move or change, but Arnie again heard the voice in her head. "I will only speak to you as you are the Finder. Do not question your worth. Your friends, all being good people, have their own abilities but they are not aligned with me. Only by you first being a Borrower, could you be a true Finder."
"Dreams can be dangerous without some grounding. Too many people have wandered in their dreams and have not returned back to the reality that is here. You must be grounded if you are to lead your friends and bring them all back. There is still a danger that one will be lost in the Dream world and will never return." This surprised Arnie so much that she blurted out loud her response. "What must I do?" Awena turned her head towards Arnie, thinking she was listening to their conversation, and told her not to worry that the Sisters would provide the food and supplies they would need for such a long journey in search of the cottage.
The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
"Its not like we are hiding anything. But I think if we tell them now what happened, they will want to go back to the Village on the Wall's library and see if we can repeat it again. I feel time is of the essence and we can't afford to waste any time in finding the Dreamweaver's hut." Roslie nodding her head in agreement thought about it for a second before turning her head and seeing Awena lifting off of the floor and floating to a different shelf than before. She quickly drifted back down and this time held a wooden chest in her hands.
Everyone turned to look at Arnie who looked confused and surprised both at the same time. "You must be mistaken. I am a Finder now, but my past of being a Borrower will count against me," she told the others as she shook her head. "No, I can't be a 'true seeker'." "Touch the stone and we will know," Awena told Arnie. Hesitant, Arnie reached out a hand and touched the stone. Instantly an image appeared in the stone of the Dream Weaver cottage that Hazelwyn and Roslie had seen in their vision. Awena turned to Hazelwyn and Roslie. "Is this the same cottage?" she asked. They did not know what to say other than 'yes' as they both embarrassingly blushed and as Arnie starred at the crystal while Dulbbe stood wondering what he had just missed... The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
Everyone turned toward the chaotic noise to discover the new Troll King holding several books in his hands, scrolls tucked under his arms, and a few aged tomes at his feet. Surprised by his unexpected appearance, Awena stepped over to the King and asked, "Your Highness, how can we help you?" "Oh please, dear lady, you can just call me Dulbbe as I am still a scribe at heart," replied the Troll King. With a gentle smile and a wave of her hand, Awena proceeded to cause the scrolls and books - both fallen and in his hands - to float to the nearby tables in the library where they organized themselves neatly. "Then Dulbbe, how can we help you?" Awena asked again. "I am here actually helping Arnie," Dulbbe replied. A surprised look appeared on everyone's face as they all turned to look at Arnie. "You are?" Arnie confusedly asked. "Yes, Arnie. Drat told me about the mission Dree gave you when he turned into the Monacle Dragon," Dulbbe replied. "Drat told me, like the loyal minnon that he is, on how you are to finish the last request of Dree's. That somehow the quest is tied in with a favor that is suppose to give the Gooblin King his greatest desire," Dulbbe continued. "Well, Drat is suppose to be helping me," said Arnie. "Not the king of the Trolls," said the exasperated Finder before she remembered whom she was talking to and quickly added "your majesty." "Yes, yes, I know that but I couldn't resist finding out what will be the Gooblin King's greatest desire," answered Dulbbe. "Plus I love the digging around in old books looking for clues as to what that desire might be. He has had so many while competing with the old Troll King. While I am researching, I have Drat checking out all the alleys and byways which is his specialty. Afterall, I was the king's scribe long before I became King myself."
Everyone watched Arnie as she then reached into one of her many pockets and pulled something out of it. "Which happens to be the spoon I have right here in my hand. Now the real question is, does all of this searching somehow relate to both quests?" The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
"This is an very ancient scroll," she continued, "that takes us back to the very beginning of when our Realms were created. This isn't the first time the Old Passage doorway has been open either." As the others looked at her in confusion, she explained, "This is the doorway that leads to the Wandering Woods and the home of the Ancient Oak Tree. It was a Full moon then though, but with it being a Blue Full Moon now is why I feel the call of magick is so much stronger." "That is interesting about the Ogham letters as I have seen them on a spoon recently," said Roslie. "But does your scroll tell us where the key is to the Dreamweaver's hut?" she asked.
"I am beginning to think this 'spoon' is the key we are looking for," said Awena. "Now the question is, does the Moon Dragon still have it now that he has transformed into the Monacle?" With that question, Arnie raised her head from looking at the scroll and gave a small smile. She thought to herself, "I do love this new job of being a Finder instead of a Borrower." The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
"She acts like she already knows why we are here," muttered Arnie to herself as she followed the others down a long hallway. "I thought that Dreamweavers were just an old faery tale that was told to the young," finished Hazelwyn as she followed closely behind Awena. "Oh no," replied the Sleeping Sister. "They are actually a part of our very foundation at the Sisterhood." Awena then opened a door at the end of the hall and entered with the weary travelers following. It was the library of the Sisters. Without explanation, Awena took a deep breath and focused her energy to find the scroll that would help the other understand why the Dreamweaver's story was resurfacing. Slowly, she floated upward to reach the most important and ancients scrolls locked away high up in the remote book shelves. With their eyes opening in awe and surprise, Arnie leaned over to Roslie and whispered in her ear, " She's good! I didn't know she could do that even if she is a mystic. Being able to do that would have helped me in my former career." Roslie nodded her head and whispered back, "It might be a good thing she is so talented as we might be needing her more than I thought. If we are to understand what is happening with these strange visions and still needing a "key" to some unknown hut, coming here first seems to have been the right thing to do." The Realm of Wymsy is an original storyline by Shawn and Lesley Duthie.
The council meeting broke up as soon as everyone learned that Aralt had managed to leave Meen behind. With him disappearing the Dowager immediately sent Meen to warn Drat that the Herald may be heading towards the caves where Drat and Dree were supposed to be hiding out. Awena also wasted no time and went directly to her library to find the Dragon's Return prophecy to see if there might be a clue to reveal what Aralt's power over the Dragons might be. As she sorted through the many prophecy scrolls, more than once she thought that they should have some sort of index to be able to find the one she was looking for faster. "Once this is over, I will have to meet with the staff to figure something out," she told herself as she put another scroll aside in her search for the right one.
Normally Efem would almost dread having to enter the Sacred Grove to talk to the ancient trees but not this trip. Since learning they could speed talk, she hoped they would respond quickly to her requests for knowledge that only they knew from the roots of the Realm's past. "I hope that the Ol' Yew is not asleep," she thought as she approached the mighty tree. As she stood next to it and looked upon it's shiny green foliage, Efem was awed by a random thought of how much it must have seen during its life cycle. "I remember my mother bringing me here to see the Yew when I was a young sapling and the Yew was ancient even then." As she silently waited for the tree to notice her so she could ask her questions about Aralt the Herald, Efem was contently lost in her own memories of the past. "One of the stories of the ages and I don't know where to start," thought Snoop as he sat at his desk in the Bellwether and tried to put quill to parchment. "I promised the Dowager that I would not print anything that would give Aralt a clue as to Dree, but I have to print something!"
It was his pile of the Herald newspapers that came crashing down from a shelf and just missing hitting him on the head that made him think... "Herald! That's it! I need to write about what we know about Aralt the Dragon Herald. That way I won't give away what we know about Dree. Plus I can get the word out that he has returned. This will be a terrific article!" Right away Snoop was lost in his writing and not even wondering any longer if Aralt might have found the caves where Dree was hiding.
"Hhhmm, the Sleeping Sisters are also involved," Aralt realized when he recognized the bird as a magpie sitting in a tree behind the other minion. "I do wonder what this council has been up to in my absence." As Meen caught sight of the Herald coming out of his home, she quickly jumped the last log as she tried to get back to the council chamber to alert the others of his approach. "This spying stuff is fun," Meen thought to herself. "I can actually play my favorite game of Leap without even getting into trouble." But she apparently did not need to worry too much of Aralt beating her to the council chamber. "He seems to be stopping at several of the local shops and apparently taking his own sweet time to arrive at the chamber. I wonder if he is part Pkysee like me since he seems to be playing instead of worrying about getting to the meeting," Meen pondered for a moment. Aralt even stopped by the local brewer to place an order of Dragon's Brew to be delivered to his home later today. It wasn't until he finished his tea and biscuit at the teashop that he finally started towards the chambers. "That should have given those silly council members plenty of time to arrive," he smiled, knowing that he was subtlety letting them know who will be in charge of this meeting.
"But I would have to surmise with this mix of citizens here, the Troll and the young Nyte Shade must be important as well as the older couple in the corner." As if they heard his unspoken thoughts, the older couple both turned their attention to him.
"This is Queen Ffion of the Shadows' Realm, King Dulbbe of the Trolls, Awena of the Sleeping Sisters, and Efem the Tree Mother. The others are citizens of the Realms who are here to witness this historic occasion. We also have Augustus, The Earl of Grey, who is also the editor of the local newspaper, The Bellwether, to record this news worthy event." Aralt let the silence last a little longer when the introductions were completed. "I must show them I am in charge here," he thought as he silently walked to a corner of the room so all had to turn to see him. "I am Aralt the Herald. I speak to and for the Dragons and the Clans and will prepare the way for the return of the Dragons. Soon they will return and we must be prepared to make sure they cause no chaos nor reek havoc among the fae folk or the Outies. I will meet with their leader, the most powerful of their kind - a Wish Dragon. Upon her return I will re-establish the rules of order laid down by me in the past for their conduct. If I need your assistance, I will ask for it then. I expect you will all be available and require each of you to have a runner or setup a message system so that I may contact you when I need your assistance. If there are no questions, then we are adjourned," he finished as he started towards the chamber doors. "But what about Hungry?" Meen uttered to Queen Ffion. "I mean Dre..." she started to add before she saw the look she was getting from all of the others. "Opps..." she muttered as she tried to find someplace to to look other than at everyone who was glaring at her.
Deciding on a new tact, he stopped just short of the doorway and turned back towards the council. "I am sorry. Being alone for so many years has made me a little brusque in my ways. I am concerned for the safety of everyone in the Realms and sometimes I do not present myself as cordial as I should. I have been gone for so long and so many things have changed, I would like to meet with all of you to see what I should know that will help me prepare for the Dragon's return," he finished as he sat down in one of the nearby chairs and awaited their response. It was slow in coming. Actually it was none as no one wanted to be the first to speak back. "I came on too strong," Aralt realized as he waited. "I will have to start this." "Dowager Griselda, I am honored to be met by a member of the Dragon Clan. I will rely on your assistance upon the Dragons return as you are one of the few who really understand the importance of what I need to do. We must keep the Dragons under our control if we are to maintain the peace and harmony of our way of life." As the Dowager remembered the incident with the scroll showing her past and why the Dragon clan was formed, she knew that their decision not to tell the Herald about Dree, the Moon Dragon, had been for the best.
Not everyone else was smiling though. Especially not the town council members who had glanced at each other when Aralt had disappeared behind his doors and now started back to the council chambers. They definitely needed to talk. Shortly all of them were sitting around the conference table thinking about what to say at the meeting. Each of the councilors had their chief minion there in case an errand or message needed to be delivered awaiting in the chairs spaced against the wall of the chamber. Even if they were longingly gazing at the buffet table that Granny Flare and Cornelia had setup for everyone to snack on, they understood the importance of the events of day. Finally it was the Dowager who started the conversation. "Well, that went well." Those four words were all it took to get everyone talking at the same time. "Who would have thought he would be so short and I don't just mean in stature," snapped one member. "How can he think I will let him stay on the grounds of my castle," growled Queen Ffion. "What are we going to do now?" both Awena and Dulbbe silently thought to themselves as they listened to the others talk.
Each of the council members sat quietly, thinking about the Baron's question. Indeed, what do we do now? It was a quandary. "There is one thing we probably should do," grumbled Nemmer as he watched the others staring at each other around the table. "Maybe we need to hide Dree until we know more about this Herald business." It took a minute, as the others were heavy in thought about the situation, before they realized what Nemmer had just muttered. "Nemmer is right," smiled the Dowager. "Dree should be hidden until we know enough about Aralt before they meet. We don't want the two of them to get off on the wrong foot. But I also don't think they should meet until we find out what the Herald's plans are first." After a short discussion, the rest of the council agreed with the Dowager, but who to send? For they needed to distract Dree and to keep him away until the council had their chance to find out Aralt's plan and that wouldn't be easy. "I could send Meen," volunteered Queen Ffion as Meen jumped from her chair when she heard her name. "No disrespect to you or your minion, Queen Ffion," answered Awena, " But we need someone who might be able to distract Dree as to the arrival of the Herald but not spill the beans about him. Meen would get so caught up playing and probably tell Dree everything since she is a twiddletop when it comes to keeping secrets." The conversation continued for some time, going back and forth on who would be best to inform the Dragon, but it wasn't until Dulbbe, the Troll King, made his offer before they selected the messenger.
Realizing that his boss was both correct and actually giving him a compliment, Drat blushed slightly and bowed his head. "As you command Sire," he replied as he departed on his errand. "Well, it got me out of what looked like a long and boring meeting," thought Drat as he darted down the street to the caves under the Baron's mansion all the time working up a plan to keep the Dragon busy without letting him know he was being hidden away again for now. "I wonder if I can get him into a game of Tic Tac Toe? That could take a while if he doesn't know that secret. But I will definitely need to let him know that it doesn't require body parts or eating."
"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.
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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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