"Sire, Dree is gone. I went to his cave and he is not there. I checked the area and finally found tracks in one of the side caves leading to the area of The Wishing Well." It only took a second before Dulbbe calculated (being a bookkeeper before becoming the Troll King) what Dree may be up to and decided to send his chief minion out to find the missing Dragon. "I will let the others know, but do what you can to bring him back. We don't want Siate' or Aralt to find him first," he told Drat. Again Drat silently slipped out of the tea room as Dulbbe started to make his announcement about Dree's absence. Soon he was out of the Mansion and traveling towards The Wishing Well. "I should get there first with this shortcut," Drat thought to himself. "What is that Dragon up to?"
As Aralt walked to the well, it was Drat who saw him first. The rat was very good at not being seen when he did not want to be and quickly hid behind one of the giant mushrooms that grew in the area. As he watched Aralt draw up a bucket of water from the well and then take off his shoes and put his feet into it, Drat turned slightly green. "I must remember not to drink from that bucket ever again," he grumbled. "Augh!" A Dragon's sense of smell is better than any other animal and Dree was a Dragon. He too could smell something that was not pleasant as he was nearing The Wishing Well and decided to approach with caution. As Aralt was facing the other direction, the Herald did not see the Dragon and was unaware that he was now hiding behind the bushes behind him.
When he could no longer be seen, Dree left his hiding place and walked up to The Wishing Well. Picking up the bucket, he then proceeded to slosh the remaining water around in it and then poured it out on the grass. As he started to lower the bucket back into the well, he heard a voice behind him. "I don't know if you want to put that bucket back into the clean water of the well," said Drat. Smiling to himself before turning around, Dree looked at his friend and asked, "What took you so long to get here?"
0 Comments
Dree knew that to the Oracle when he asked his questions he had to act as if he were Tun'Gul, it's creator and the only other Moon Dragon to have ever existed. The Oracle still was insisting that there was only one Moon Dragon and since there could only be one, Dree must really be Tun'Gul. "Greeting Oracle. I would like to ask you some questions to confirm events before we were separated and to test your recollections," said Dree. "As you have instructed, I have maintained the information. Inquire," answered the Oracle. "Why did the Dragon's leave this Realm?" was Dree's first question. The Oracle spun on the table as it answered. "The Dragons did not like the restrictions that were being placed on them by Villagers. Their egg nests were being raided for the crystals created by the dragnets' hatchings. The Wish Dragons especially did not like their wishes being regulated by the Wish Dragon Clan. Since the Dragons are each independent and they do not have a ruler, they did not like being told what they could and could not do. The most powerful Wish Dragon who was left after the Moon Dragon disappeared attempted to become Queen of all Dragons. Your disappearance, Master Moon Dragon, was the final act that made the other Dragons seek a new home."
As the Dowager was thinking on how some of the puzzle pieces were starting to fit together, it was Dree's next question and the Oracle's answer that took her completely by surprise! "When the Dragon's left, did they take the Nyte Shade's heart in the golden cage?" asked Dree. The Oracle paused for a second before answering. "As you hid the heart and cage in the cavern behind the waterfall, that is where it has stayed since your departure, Oh Wise One," replied the Oracle. Before anyone else could say a word, Dree quickly asked his next question. "Do you know where that cage could be found now?"
"Why did I leave you?" the Dragon asked. The Oracle did not delay this time in answering. "To save us all," was it's response. "As the only Moon Dragon, you went to the sacred tree to protect the Realms and did not return until now. I am glad you have found me and we are reunited again," said the Oracle.
"We have discovered that a Nyte Shade, one of Queen Ffion's ancestors, gave her magic to a dragon and that is how Dragon's became magical." Now it was Nutmegg and Allspice's turn to be surprised as this was not known to them. "That might explain why Siate' came back and why Aralt was here," Nutmegg murmured to Allspice.
"I am glad that you all are here," Griselda realized. "For it must mean something. We certainly would have never gone down this path without what Allspice and Nutmegg had told us. Apparently there is something in this realm that affects the Dragon's magic making it more stable. What that something may be is still an assumption. But if the stone in the cage was not taken by the Dragon's when they left, then that could be a good reason why some of their mis-enchantments happen elsewhere as anything else. What we have to do is figure a way to find out more about the mis-enchantment issue. It might just be the key to both why the Dragons have returned and how to stop Aralt and Siate' from whatever their plan could be."
When he was finished, Allspice turned to the rest of the group and started to relay about Lil' Boots overhearing a conversation and how he rushed over to warn everyone about what Aralt was told to do. Finding out that Aralt was planning on abducting someone and take them back to Siate' for questioning did not make the others very happy. "Thank you for the warning Lil' Boots and welcome back from the World of Whispers," King Dulbbe told him. "When this situation is over with the Dragons, we will do everything we can to help get you back to your home." Lil' Boots was so surprised that as he stood there blushing all he could say was "Ahhh, shucks. Twasn't nothing. Glad to help."
"As a Borrower, I would never had been invited into such a grand place like this," she knew. "As a Finder, the others actually want me around." It was a good feeling but with that feeling came a responsibility. Now others relied on her and asked her opinions and thoughts. "That is better and I like this feeling of being needed," she finally decided as her attention returned to what the others were talking about. "... and then Nutmegg told us that he would try to bring his leader, named Allspice, here to meet with you," Dree finished telling the Dowager and Baron. "That would be very good," Griselda answered. "Hopefully King Dulbbe and Queen Ffion will arrive before they do." Nodding his head, the Baron agreed with his mother. "Maybe this will give us another advantage over the Dragons," he said. "With Dree's Oracle and the help from SPICE, we might just be able to outmaneuver Siate' and her herald."
The others were looking over the Oracle and discussing what questions to ask it and what more could they learn from the Moon Dragon who created it. "I feel that we don't have much time before Siate' and Aralt do whatever they are planning," Dree told the others, "So I think we need to decide what questions to ask the Oracle otherwise we might end wasting a lot of time. As much as I would like to know my kin's past, we need to focus on what is happening now." The others agreed and as they continued their discussion, Fiddlefaddle entered the tea room with King Dulbbe and Queen Ffion. Shortly they were brought up to date on what was found in the Gooblin King's treasures and the meeting with Nutmegg. As Fiddlefaddle was refreshing the tea, the other guests arrived and were shown into the tea room.
"I am not sure I understand what might cause mis-enchantments as we did not have that problem when the Wish Dragon's were here before. We just had to watch how literal they could be was our problem with the Wish Dragons," the Dowager said. "If someone asked for a gold mine, they might find themselves in the middle of a mountain somewhere surrounded by gold but not able to return with it. What is a mis-enchantment?" she asked. "That is a good question, madam. Let me see if I can explain," answered Allspice. "With a mis-enchantment, a wish granted by the Wish Dragon may be successful but sometimes others in the area of where the wish was granted just up and disappear. We just recently recovered one of these victims who described the place he was transported to as the World of Whispers. Apparently it is a white glistening world that time does not hold. As Lil' Boots was there for a long time and never had to sleep or eat. Those trapped there could be heard but only as a whisper on the wind. We don't know why there are mis-enchantments, but we have found a way to bring them back. Sometimes when they return they are changed in some way but after visiting one of our Fae healers, they usually return to how they were before."
After the silence that followed the explanation, it was Drat and Dree who started laughing first. Soon the laughter was infectious and everyone was snickering. "Imagine, a burping Dragon," laughed Drat. "Now I know what to get you to drink the next time you start those bad knock, knock jokes," the rat said to Dree. When the laughter was contained, Dree spoke. "I think it is time to ask the Oracle our questions and now I think I know what to ask it," he said as he started to open the bag that held the magical trinket.
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!
Dulbbe had not been king long, but in the short time of holding this new job, he had learned to trust his First Minion. "Yes, but remember what actions you do will reflect on the Troll Kingdom and myself." After another thought, Dulbbe added with a smile, "and don't get caught." If the King had not smiled, Drat would have almost felt offended. "Don't get caught indeed," quickly scampered through his thoughts, but then he realized that the king was right. "The Gooblin King doesn't keep dungeons as he doesn't keep prisoners," Drat remembered. "They cost money to take care of," Hir'aeth, the Gooblin King, had been overheard saying once and everyone knew how ruthlessly efficient he ruled his kingdom. Shuddering, Drat started out to where he knew he had to go. Quickly he was out of the Shadows' Queen's library and was leaving her palace. There might have been a quicker route to where he was heading, but Drat wanted the extra time to work his plans out as he traveled. "No, that won't work," he decided as he rejected several options but always he came back to the main part. He would need to convince Dree that this was for the best. "The question is," Drat asked himself, "best for us or the Dragons?" Soon Drat was outside of the caves and just as he started to enter realized that he could hear another voice besides that of Dree's coming from inside. "Hello Drat. On some errand for the Troll King?" Meen asked smiling.
"I realized that you looked like you were thinking something important the way you were distracted and that it had to do with the Dragon's and I knew that sooner or later it would have to involve Dree. So here I am." Slightly annoyed at being so transparent that even a Pyksee could figure out what he was up to and even more so for failing to see how smart Meen really was, Drat quickly decided that maybe this was for the best. Meen had been one of Dree's first friends while he was still a Wish Dragon and might be able to help convince the Dragon of his plan. "Meen, I am glad you are here. I need your help. We need to persuade Dree to help us find a scroll." "You mean like finding a hidden treasure? That is one of my favorite games!" answered Meen. "Dree always liked playing games with me... It shouldn't be hard to get him to play it with us." Drat smiled... "This might work out after all," he hoped.
"Well your kingship, it is because of trolls that the word "trolling" began. Trolls would rather just look at the cover of a book and not really open it to the pages within," Drat replied. "Though, with the old king before you, there was such a competition between him and the Gooblin King that resulted in them both going after powerful books," Drat continued. "After all, wizards aren't just powerful on their own magic but from all the knowledge they collect. Both the old Troll King and the Gooblin King knew this," Drat said as he caught up to Dulbbe before he opened the door to the Shadows' Queen library. "Hmmm," thought Dulbbe as they stood in front of the closed door. "What if there are some old scrolls or books that could give us more information on this Wish Dragon, Siate'? I mean, Drat, just think of her power," Dulbbe pondered. "If she was so all powerful back when, why did the Dragons leave the realm? If the Dragons were so mad at the villagers enough to leave, why not wipe out the villagers instead? Or did history get rewritten with the Dragons leaving? Interesting questions that I think we need to know the answers, Drat," said Dulbbe as he opened the door to the library while Drat wondered about his new King. "A troll who believes reading is a virtue and doesn't wait for a servant to open doors for him," he mused to himself. As Dulbbe entered the Shadows' Queen huge library, they quickly headed to room 101 where the one source that might be able to answer a few of his questions was located. As he took the cover off the crystal ball it began to glow a pale green. "Oh Wise One, is there a book or scroll that tells us of the time of Siate' the Wish Dragon when she was in power?" The Dragon orb flashed a couple of times and then began to glow a brighter green as it answered Dulbbe's question. "Yes."
"The Gooblin King has it, though he knows it not," answered the orb. "It will be difficult to find for the scroll has it's own spell on it to keep it hidden from those that look to harm Dragons. For the scroll knows that knowledge is power and it hides from those that seeks it's power." In frustration Dulbbe's threw up his hands and growled, "How can we find a scroll that cloaks itself, let alone has hidden itself among the gooblins?" The Orb answered, "With the help of a Dragon."
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."
|
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
July 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
Affiliates:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 1993 - 2025 All rights reserved. MisplaceDolls.com and Peddlerscache.com