"Something always seems to happen to my friends and it's because of me," the Dragon sniffled.  "Even my Spite (The CAT) was taken," he cried silently to himself.  "I should leave but where would I go?" the Dragon was thinking just before the tingling came over him.  Just like Ffion, the tingling started in his claws but was soon spreading over his entire body.  "What is this?" he thought.  Was it something else that would take away another one of his friends?

Almost as soon as it started, the tingling stopped and the Dragon was himself again.  "I need to be going now before something else happens," he told himself and started for the doors.  He had only taken a couple of steps before he was blocked by the Goodie sisters.  They had been watching him as if they already knew that he was going to leave.  "Excuse me," he said as he tried to get around one of them to leave, but they kept finding some way to always be in front of him.

Releasing the Dragon's paw, Goodie4U continued where her sister left off.  "The prophecy told of two outcomes.  One for good and the other for evil.  The sacrifice of magic from a Nyte Shade was what was required for the mixture (transformation) to be complete.  Your father offered himself when we thought it would be from you, but in doing so, he also gave both you and Hungry (his old self)  a great gift."

As Goodie4U paused, Goodie2shues continued.  "You and Hungry have been magically joined just as a dragon was when a Nyte Shade sacrificed her powers to her friend.  This is what created the first magical Dragon.  We were not sure at first if the ingredients would mix (the joining), but when we saw both of you a few minutes ago surrounded by the blue aura, we knew it had happened."

Before the Queen or the Newborn Dragon could ask what it all meant, Goodiegood again spoke.  "My Queen, as both you and the Dragon's powers grow you will both find that future events will need the two of you jelling together.   What those events will be, we cannot say," as she looked at both Ffion and the Dragon, " but you also both share the magical powers of the moonflowers."

Now they were even more confused than before!!!  "We really don't understand what you just said," started the Dragon, but before he could finish the sentence Ffion did. "What you are telling us is that we are magically joined?" finishing the sentence.  Startled, the Queen and the Dragon looked at each other.  As one started to speak, the other would either nod their head yes or no.  Each one knew what the other would say. ​

Realizing that another crisis was over, the Goodie sisters smiled at each other and started leaving to return to their cottage.  Before they could get to the door, this time the Dragon stopped them.  "Before you go, can you at least tell me what happened to me?  What am I?" he asked the sisters.

"Why you are one of the most powerful Dragons ever known.  Your transformation has changed you from being just a Wish Dragon but to a Moon Dragon," Goodiegood told him.  "As Hunter told you that if you ate the blue rose you would no longer be 'hungry'. He did not mean that you would not want to eat, he meant that you will change and become someone greater.  You are now Drai'ochtluan (pronounced - dree-ach-loo-am), the Magic Moon."

​"Cool!" replied the Dragon, "but I think I like to be just Dree to my friends", winking at the sisters and Ffion.

​Gently he sat her on one of padded chairs to recover as Awena continued.  "The question is, what do we do now?"  It seemed that no one had an answer.

Finally it was the newly re-born Dragon who spoke.  "It's all my fault," he said with a tear in his eye.  "If it wasn't for me none of this would have happened."  

"Nonsense!  Now listen everyone... this was but one of two possible outcomes from the moment the Dragon tablet was found.  With what it foretold would happen long ago, I am glad for one that goodness prevailed," said Goodiegood.  "It could have gone either with a new beginning or a recipe for despair and the ending of the Realm.  We should rejoice that the Shadows' King gave us a new beginning!"

Realizing that the Goodie sister was right, the Dowager decided it was time to start that beginning.  "Goodiegood is right.  The proper time for mourning will come when we know for sure that those who entered the portal are truly gone." ​

Both surprised and flustered, at first Ffion did not know what to say.  Seeing everyone bowing was a shock to her.  "This is an honor for my father, not me," she thought.  It is when she looked at Hir'aeth looking at her and seeing him nod his head is when she realized that she would have to make some decisions - she was  now the Queen of the Shadows' Realm!

Slowly raising from the chair, she started to speak but it came out more like a squeak.  After taking a breath and a few swallows (which also gave her another second to gather her thoughts) she began.  "I thank you all for your allegiance and your good wishes.  In the absence of the King, I will do my best to keep our Realm prospering.  My first acts are to make the Dowager Griselda one of my advisors and as my father had requested that Awena of the Sleeping Sisters be the royal tutor."

Deciding this would be the best time for him to act, the Gooblin King waited until the Princess (" I must remember she is the Queen now," thought Hir'aeth) had finished - he made his move.  "Queen Ffion.  With the absence of the Troll King, someone should take his place to guide his kingdom.  As the nearest monarch, I offer my services until his return."  

"Ah... the politics begins," muttered the Dowager.  As she was sitting near Ffion, it was only the new queen that heard her.  Being raised in a royal household, the new queen smiled to herself as she had learned quickly what to do from the many times of watching her father.

"Oh great King.  I thank you for the offer of your service, but another has already been selected to replace the Troll King.  A distant relative of Druzzy is already here in the room.  Hewy, I ask if you will be the acting Troll King until his return?" Ffion said as she looked at the startled troll.

"It must be Dulbbe!" she whispered so that only the Queen would hear.  Shocked at hear this, Ffion turned to look at Dulbbe who was still bowing and looking at the floor.  "Dulbbe, is this true?" she asked.

"Yes my Queen.  It is.  I am the younger brother of King Druzzy," the troll answered, still not taking his eyes off of the floor.  "Your father knew but he told me when he made me the keeper of his accounts that it was because of my skills with numbers and not because of who I was.  That is why I told no one else.  Hewy, being a troll knew because he often would perform at the Troll King's events and would see me there with my brother."

This revelation surprised even the Gooblin King, but before he could speak again, the Queen asked her question now to Dulbbe.  "Will you be the acting Troll King until his return?"  Not wanting to let her down and only now partially realizing that as a King he might actually have a chance at winning her heart, Dulbbe finally looked up at her as he told her "Yes, I will do as you ask."

At this announcement the crowd began to stand and clap as Dulbbe walked to Hewy and shook his hand, while Hewy, being the only other troll in the group, bowed to his new sovereign.  "Ahh, the fun begins anew," smiled the Gooblin King wondering how this adversary will 'add up' (accountant humor).

It was during the clapping and applause that the new Queen noticed a feeling that she had not felt before.  It first started as a tingling at her fingers which soon was covering her whole body like the magic that flowed through her when she was at the Goodies cottage.  Soon the others in the room also saw the glow forming around her as the room became quiet.  As all eyes were looking at her, one set of eyes was watching another who was having the same issue.  "As the prophecy stated - forever joined by the sacrifice of magic will they be," smiled Goodie4U as the glow slowly disappeared around Queen Ffion and the new Moon Dragon.

"This is where we see if the recipe is right," answered the Goodie sister, "and if all goes well, the Wish Dragon will have undergone a transformation.  This is rare and if enough magic is not released to finish the recipe, then the mixture will fail."

It was then that enough of the haze had disappeared that everyone could see what was happening inside the egg.  Both Hunter and The CAT were standing near the Wish Dragon, but the little Dragon had changed.  Hungry had grown and turned blue!  From the top of his head to the bottom of his claws - even his eyes were now a shade of blue.  As most were looking at Hungry, it was the Goodie sisters that noticed the small magical portal opening behind the Dragon.  "It will need more magic," each of the Goodie Sisters thought, but it would take more than they possessed to finish the transformation.

He had been watching Ffion through the crystal egg and already saw that his beloved daughter was approaching closer to the egg with the blue lights glowing around her.  It was the time for him to act or lose his daughter forever.  There had never been a choice, he knew what he must do.  Stepping to the edge of the crystal egg, he started pushing his magic into it!  Slowly, as as his magic swirled around in a circle, it began to expand... larger... and larger... and finally large enough to reach his hand through it.

"Daughter, a young fae sacrificed herself to give magic to the dragons, I will not have you do the same," pleaded the King to Ffion.  He reached out his hand taking hers.  As soon as that happened the blue lights flowed into Hunter's hand turning him blue.

"Hungry," Hunter told the Wish Dragon, "The Portal requires magic for magic.  This was what was required for the young fae that first gave her magic to the dragons and why I told you the tale.  When I step through the portal it will finish your transformation and begin your destiny.  If I don't, you and the magic in the Realm will perish!"

"Ah, that's where the Dragon tablet went," thought Dulbbe as he stood behind Ffion's with one hand keeping her from going to the portal.  For when the portal appeared, she had been slowly pulled towards it.  If it wasn't for Dulbbe holding her back while the King held her hand, by this point she too might have entered it with the Dragon.

"No!  You can't have it!" yelled Druzzy.  "I need it for my revenge," he screamed as he continued to cling to his crown with the Dragon tablet hidden inside as it pulled him towards the egg.  Even the Gooblin King was startled by what was happening.  "Let it go Druzzy," hollered Hir'aeth.  "It's just a thing... let it go!"  Glaring at the Gooblin King, Druzzy just smiled as he continued to clutch his crown, "Don't you wish.  I will win this round!"  It was then that three things happened all in a blink of a Dragon's eye.  The Shadows' King let go of Ffion's hand and with a wave pulled the Dragon tablet towards him.  He then stepped through the portal with the tablet following him... with a Troll King still holding on while the crystal egg shattered in a bright glittering glow like fireflies dancing in the evening.  As Druzzy was being pulled into the portal, grabbing anything to stop the pull of the King, he grabbed The CAT's tail which pulled the CAT in as well.

As Ffion watched her father, she saw him giving her one final look as he whispered "I love you" as the blinding flash occurred.

"Hungry," Hunter whispered to the little dragon, "Don't be afraid as I am here to help you."  The king continued, "First, let me tell you a story about how dragons got their terrific powers... where it all started..."  As the Shadows' King told Hungry how a Nyte Shade had given her powers to her dragon friend he also was trying to keep the Dragon calm so that he would not realize that the two of them were subtly changing and trapped inside of a large crystal.  As the tale was being told, the Troll King, Druzzy, was standing by a tree and thinking of ways to get out of the garden with the Dragon tablet he had hidden under his crown.

​The problem was he did not know which one did and a lowly bookkeeper does not accuse a King of taking something.  "I will have to make sure neither leave with it before this is over," he realized.  Making sure of how to do that was simple he quickly decided.  Walking over to the Gooblin King he whispered, "Did you notice how King Druzzy keeps looking around.  I wonder what he is up to."  This started the Gooblin King to watch the Troll King even more than normal.  "Now all I have to do is keep an eye on the Gooblin King," thought Dulbbe, "since then he will be watching the Troll King."

By the time Hunter finishes his tale to Hungry,  the Goodies had returned and were beginning their ritual with Ffion and The CAT.  It is then that the Wish Dragon realized he was trapped inside of a crystal cocoon surrounded in a blue mist.  At first startled, he stood up hitting his head.  That is when the crack appeared throwing off the Goodie's spell and causing the release of the blue ooze.   "Ouch!" Hungry yelled as he reached for the top of his head.  Trying not to smile, Hunter took one of Hungry's hands and told him to relax.  "This crystal shell will not last much longer. Look, there is already a crack in it," Hunter said as he pointed to the crack.  As they were looking at it, something else started to appear inside of the crystal with them.  Whatever it was looked like it had been stretched quite thin and shoved through the small crack.  As they both moved back as far as they could, The CAT appeared (not looking too pleased ) in front of them.  "I don't ever want to do that again!" The CAT growled when he fully materialized.

Happy that his Spite was with him, Hungry moved up to give The CAT a hug.  Too surprised to get away, The CAT let the Wish Dragon hug him (but only briefly) before telling him that was enough.  "Not in front of the King," he whispered in Hungry's ear as he was being squeezed.

Hunter only watched them, trying to hide his sad smile, before either saw it.  "If things go right, then you two will be both be changed forever," thought the King.  Also knowing that if things did not go right, all of them would be changed forever but not in a way each would have liked...

Outside of the crystal and in the garden, Ffion, the Goodie sisters, and Hewy have joined hands as Hewy begins to sing.  Soon, the others joined the circle and as the music became louder, everyone was holding hands and singing as they circled the large blue glowing crystal.  Even Druzzy had to join in as Hir'aeth had grabbed his hand so he could not disappear.  

Inside the crystal, The CAT, having the keenest of hearing, all of a sudden perked up his ears.  "Do you hear that?" he asked the others.  Before they could answer he continued, "Hewy is singing."  In a minute all three of them could hear the singing since it no longer was just Hewy.  "It sounds like a whole bunch of Twitter Birds," thought the Dragon and he soon was tapping his foot to the beat of the music.  Things were going along smoothly until Hungry accidently tapped too hard - on The CAT's tail!  Leaping into the air, The CAT startled Hungry who stood up completely and again hit his head on the crystal ceiling in their cocoon causing the crack to start getting even bigger and spreading.

​"We need to hurry!" replied Goodieg2shues.  "Go grab him!"

"Him???  Him who," thought The CAT who had been prowling around the edge of the garden, wondering about the magical mayhem that was going on here.  He had felt the energy shift and no longer could feel Hungry, the little Wish Dragon.  Being the Spite of a Wish Dragon was still a new experience for The CAT.  It took another Spite, Sprigg'n Mac-talla, to teach him that as a Spite he was supposed to watch out and help (well maybe not quite as much) keep his Dragon out of trouble.  Again, wondering why he could not feel Hungry, is when Goodiegood ran up to him and grabbed his paw.

Goodiegood looked into The CAT's eyes and said, "Hungry needs you now like never before.  You are that missing ingredient.  We can't save him without you."

As The CAT was deciding, Goodie4U is shouting over all the chatter that the rest of the crowd is making in their confusion of trying to understand what is happening.  Only one is not saying anything, Druzzy, the Troll King.  He has been standing in the background trying to figure a way out of the garden without anyone noticing him leave since he was still hiding the forgotten Dragon tablet under his crown.  "I have got to get this tablet away from here," he was telling himself.  "The power it will give me!"

Goodiegood directed Ffion, her sisters, and The CAT to stand around the Crystal Egg.  As they joined hands, the egg started to crack a little more.  "Hurry Hewy with the music, it will calm the beast inside," Goodiegood yelled back to the Troll who was still trying to figure out what he would sing.

"The blue ooze is chaos," yelled Goodiegood as her ears were still ringing from the spell exploding, "and if it spreads it will contaminate the others and turn them into crazy mad creatures!"  

"There must be some way to fix this!" Goodie2shues yelled back.  "Where is Goodie4U?"  she continued.

As Goodiegood was thinking about the missing one, Goodie4u was thinking about the ritual they needed to do.  "Ffion has reached the age where she should be able to survive the ritual.  I just hope that the Crystal Egg will wait until everything is mixed and ready." 

The third sister, Goodie2shues, was busy keeping an eye on Princess Ffion.  The shock of her father's, the Shadows' King, disappearance was still evident.  Ffion did not do much more than watch the countryside as the Nytemares sped her to where the sisters were taking her to.  "I hope she can take what is soon to be dished out to her," thought Goodie2shues as the Nytemares stopped in front of the Goodie cottage.

Quickly Goodiegood and Goodie4u opened the small wooden door to their cottage and disappeared inside as Goodie2shues helped the princess from the Nytemare's back and ushered her to go inside while she talked to the Nytemares.  "Please wait for us as we won't be long," Goodie2shues told the Nytemares.  She knew they agreed when they all bobbed their heads and knelt on the ground.

As Ffion sat, she noticed Goodiegood now standing in the kitchen, mumbling to herself as she held a small bouquet of moonflowers.  As she watched, the flowers suddenly glowed brightly with a blinding flash causing Ffion to jump up from her chair seeing bright spots before her eyes.  As she blinked several times to clear her vision, she saw Goodie2shues entering in the doorway where the wreath was hung.  Suddenly it looked like the Goodie sister appeared to turn into a green snake and was now sliding in and out of the circle of branches.  Startled, Ffion rubbed her eyes and when she looked back up, saw that Goodie2shues was back to normal and no longer a snake.     

As Goodie2shues approaches, Ffion shrinks back and squeaks "What did you just have me drink?  You were a snake!"  Goodie4u, realizing that Ffion being a Nyte Shade, must have seen the magic of her sister combining her energy with that of the Circle.  Goodie4u answered"  We only gave you a healing brew, so you don't need to worry about it, but Goodie2shues needed to strengthen the energy of the Circle of Snakes for the ritual."

Before Ffion could say anything, Goodiegood continued.  "​The Circle of Snakes is actually a circle full of love by those that have gone before us to create this foundation of protection.  We are simply adding to it so we can help you now.  That is why you are here."

"Ffion, you are a Nyte Shade," said Goodie4u interrupting Goodiegood.  With a brief look of irritation Goodiegood continued, "What you do not totally understand yet is what it means to be a true Nyte Shade.  You are now part of that history and ritual which seems to be needed again.  For a Nyte Shade once gave it's power to a dragon which made the Dragons the powerful creatures they are today.  Our magic is lesser than the Nyte Shade since we are part witch and part fae.  We can cast spells and help by way of ritual, much like the wizard, Devin, but we can only assist."

Ffion sat back down in the chair stunned.  She had never even thought to ask her father more about what it meant to be a Nyte Shade when he had told her.  Before she could start asking more questions from the Goodie sisters, Goodie2shues spoke.  "Time is of the essence and we must hurry before this recipe of disaster is completed and we are truly cooked! ​

Deciding she had little choice, Ffion slowly nods her head and replies.  "The others back at the castle must have trusted you to let you take me away.  Plus the Nytemares would not have taken us here if they didn't trust you too," she told the sisters.  "Yes, tell me what I must do."   Goodiegood approached Ffion and took one of her hands while the other sisters joined their hands to complete the circle.  Together the sisters looked at the candle in the middle of their circle as it suddenly flared to life while calling on the powers they needed to complete the ritual.  The room began to shimmer and Ffion took on a blue glow.   With that the Goodie sisters  knew that they had completed the ritual.  They had provided all the protection they could even though Ffion looked more haggard and distracted than she did when her father had disappeared.  The Goodies had opened a portal through Ffion and now they needed to finish the transformation by heading back to the crystal egg.  Goodiegood lead the others back to where the Nytemares were waiting.  As they left the cottage, Goodie2shues whispered to Goodie4u, "Do you think the portal is draining her?  We need to hurry if we are to help her as well as what is in the egg."  In the meantime, Goodiegood helped the princess to slide on the back of her Nytemare and soon the four were rushing to the Shadows' King's castle and the crystal in the garden.

Off to one side was Hewy, the Troll,  who was busy giving the Gooblin King, Hir'aeth, the evil eye as the Gooblin King wondered to himself where had Druzzy, the Troll King, snuck off too?  Efem, the Tree Mother, was huddled with Dewin by a small bench and waving her hands in the air trying to make a point as she tried to get his complete attention. While Dewin was trying also to see where the Troll King had wondered off as well as try to keep one ear open to listen to Efem.  ​

Things were certainly tense and confusing.  It was then, as Goodiegood was looking around at everyone, that she noticed the large crystal-like egg in the the middle of the garden.  "I doubt that has been here very long," she asked without expecting much of an answer.  She realized what it was as she looked closer seeing something blue swirling around inside of it.  

Turning to her sisters she said, "It looks like what we feared has happened.  The Prophesy has begun with the Last Wish Dragon being lost.  Now we must find out who sacrificed their magic for this to have happened."  As the three sisters started looking around the garden to see who might be missing from the vision they had earlier, Goodie2shues finally hollered to the crowd, "Everyone! We don't have much time so listen up!  We need to talk to Ffion or the Shadows' King.  Does anyone know where they are?" 

When the Dowager finished, Goodie4u mumbled loud enough for only her sisters to hear, "Now we know who sacrificed their power, as the King and Ffion being Nyte Shades are the only two beings strong enough to give up their power and not be swayed by the Darkness or Greed."  Realizing that speed was now needed, Goodie2shues spoke again to the crowd.  "We need to speak to Ffion immediately!  The Realm depends on it!"

As her sisters disappeared, Goodiegood quietly mumbled to herself, "The best thing we can do now is get Ffion back to our place so we can whip up our 'Surrogare' recipe before this egg fully hatches.  The Ntyemares are the best choice to fly us home in time."

As the other two sisters flew off to do her bidding, Goodiegood thought about trying to explain to Awena and the Dowager what was happening, but there just wasn't enough time.  All she could do was shout out "Trust ME!" as she ran to follow her sisters.

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."​

"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.

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?" ​

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!" 

He too wanted to hear what the Goodies had to say and maybe learn something else about the Dragon tablet for the Troll King.  The problem was that when Arnie crossed the threshold of the door, what looked like a circular bundle of sticks over the doorway turned into a tangle of snakes!  Since rats and snakes don't get along very well together (unless one knows he is invited to be the dinner which doesn't usually turn out well for the rat), Drat jumped back from the doorway just in time to hear Goodie2shues tell Arnie to close the door.  "Ugh!  I hate snakes," shuddered Drat as he heard the lock on the door click shut.

Knowing he was now locked out of the cottage did not slow Drat down though.  Quickly he started walking around the cottage trying to peek into the windows to see if he could at least see what was going on.  But as he approached every window either they closed their shutters or the curtain hanging over it blew together tightly.  "Oh Drat!" muttered the rat.

Watching the two laughing so hard finally got the rat to start smiling and even he started to snicker.  "All right, fun time is over.  Now what was so funny?" again asked Drat. 

"You are!" answered the Wysp.  When you said 'Drat' we thought you were talking to yourself until we realized you were frustrated... When Drat finally figured out what the Wysp was telling him, he just shook his head from side-to-side and groaned, "I have got to get different traveling companions."

With the three waiting on the doorsteps discussing what they were going to do now (especially with two of them hoping to get another chance at the obtaining the Dragon tablet), and Arnie inside the cottage, the Dowager over at the Shadows King's castle was planning her next steps also.

​Soon she was in one of the guest rooms and was preparing for her next conversation with Ffion.  "I must see how much the princess knows about her heritage and if she is aware of the connection with the Dragons," thought Griselda.  "But first, I must get a message to Awena."

Realizing that using a flutterby to send a secret message might not be the best option at the moment (especially if they were attracted to Ffion), the Dowager decided to use the next best thing.  Quickly she took out a small package that she had been carrying with her and began her message.   Opening a window in her room, she soon spotted a small Bee-G buzzing around a strange looking flower (it was in fact B-Glad who had been sent by Cornelia for some pollen from one of the plants that only grew in the Shadows King's garden).  She waved the package in the air so the Bee-G could see it.