Princess Damselfly was accompanied by none other than his birthday present. Somehow the toy rabbit had been brought to life and now followed the young girl with reticence. Rat could see that the rabbit’s tail had been removed and replaced by a bright gold button. These strange events were certainly enough for Rat to forget his earlier concerns, and he followed the strange travelers at a safe distance. Knowing every inch of the castle, Rat was able to pursue his quarry without risking discovery. It seemed the sorcerer was unaware of his tail, and Rat wondered what reason the princess had for following the magician. They travelled down to the courtrooms with Orion leading the way. Rat was worried about losing sight of the others so he hastened to close the gap and almost walked straight into Tyten, the leader of the royal army. Luckily, the soldier was distracted so Rat was able to disappear into the shadows and avoid being caught trespassing. The problem was now he had dropped behind those he was following, so without hesitation, Rat took a shortcut that only he knew about, through an old maintenance closet that actually joined this level with one two floors down. The shortcut should be more than enough to recover his lost time and, indeed, when he exited, Princess Damselfly was just vanishing behind a corner up ahead. Rat lengthened his stride, determined not to lose them again, but as he turned the corner, he found it miraculously empty.
The sorcerer and the princess had simply disappeared.
It had to be magic, Rat reasoned, as he knew the castle better than anyone, and it seemed impossible that someone else could know of a secret room or passage he had yet to locate. Rat decided to remain where he was for someone to appear; he had been waiting for a chance to enter the royal apartments for years and a little while longer was not going to make much difference.
Damselfly had not been able to sleep after her meeting with Death. His words haunted her and the terrifying prospect of losing her mother was enough to maintain a level of courage she did not know she possessed. The problem was she had no idea where to start; Damselfly had never gone outside the royal apartments alone and her absence would certainly not go unnoticed. The princess’s only strategy was to follow the man she believed responsible for her mother’s condition, Orion. If Death was right and her mother’s condition was due to dark magic, he was the only person who could be responsible. It would explain why Orion kept her mother locked away so only he could treat her and when the queen died, he could say that there was nothing anyone could do. Damselfly’s task seemed so impossible that at times she was close to despair. There was no way in or out of the Evergarden, and even if she could find a way, the Fairy King would hardly just hand her the stolen timepiece.
“I must find a way,” Damselfly vowed.
Death had warned her not to trust anybody. She could not turn to her father, however this task was too big for one person. Persuading Buttontail to accompany her on a dangerous adventure was difficult, and the scared rabbit had many reservations though when the time came, he followed her while she followed Orion.
When Orion walked through a stone wall, Damselfly thought she was seeing things. A slight blurring of the object revealed signs of magic and the princess hurried through, worried about being trapped on the other side. Buttontail reluctantly brought up the rear. His ears flicked anxiously, trying to pick up the first sound of danger. The duo found themselves atop a narrow staircase that was clearly rarely taken, the passage was dark and patrolled by spiders.
“I hate spiders,” Buttontail whispered.
“They won’t hurt you,” Damselfly reassured.
“All those scuttling legs and watchful eyes,” Buttontail muttered.
“We both have to be brave, Buttons,” Damselfly stated.
“I can be brave.”
The skittish rabbit stood tall on his hind legs, stuck out his chin and took the lead in front of Damselfly as they continued to descend the spiral staircase. A high screeching noise reached them from below, and instantly Buttontail flung himself into Damselfly’s arms.
“What was that noise?” he stuttered.
“It sounded like an old door opening,” Damselfly whispered.
“Of course,” Buttontail replied, returning to his own two feet. “Just an old door, nothing to worry about.”
Despite the rabbit’s words, Damselfly took the lead as they went deeper into the castle. Realising they must be close to the foundations, they discovered what had made the chilling squeal. An old rusted gate barred their path and it was locked with magic.
“Oh well, we tried,” Buttontail surrendered.
Before the frightened rabbit could flee, Damselfly grabbed his hand and looked him directly in the eye.
“Orion will have to return this way. When he does, you stop the door from closing.”
“Me?” Buttontail gulped.
“You’re small and fast, perfect for this job,” the princess assured.
“Yeah, exactly.” Buttontail nodded. “Made for it I am.”
“Are you going to try and run away?” Damselfly asked.
“Maybe,” Buttontail admitted.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Damselfly relinquished. “You keep watch.”
They did not have to wait long before Orion reappeared although he did not arrive alone. A dishevelled figure was being dragged in his wake and the individual was talking away to himself obliviously.
“My mistress will punish you.”
Orion led the babbling man back up the stairs. Once the sorcerer had gone, Buttontail rejoined Damselfly who had successfully stopped the gate from shutting.
“Where are we?” Buttons asked.
“I think it is the dungeons,” Damselfly replied.
The princess had not been aware the castle had dungeons before now. It was clear there were a great many things she had been kept in the dark about.
“What are we doing here?” Buttons questioned.
“I want to see who else Orion is keeping locked up down here.”
There was a prevailing darkness that made it difficult to find their way. Damselfly kept one hand on the stone wall to orient them although she discovered it was damp, meaning they must be closer to the castle foundations than she thought. A single torch burned slowly to light the entire block; it offered little illumination and cast moving shadows that had Buttontail shivering with fear. They came across several cells although all of them were empty. Damselfly guessed the original tenants had been sent to the Evergarden.
As they travelled deeper into the dungeons, Damselfly became concerned they would not find any evidence to help them save her mother, and then up ahead they saw a pair of flashing red eyes.
“Yagh,” Buttontail screamed at the monster.
“It is only Trigger,” Damselfly laughed, fussing over the Dalmatian who seemed especially pleased to see her.
“That’s the brute who bit off my tail,” Buttontail reminded.
“He’s very sorry about that, aren’t you, boy?” Damselfly continued to lavish attention on the excited hound. “Why are you down here? What have they got you protecting?” Damselfly’s curiosity brought her to the final cage where a silhouette moved amongst the suffocating darkness.
“Buttons, go and retrieve the torch so we can see,” Damselfly ordered.
“Hello,” the princess spoke into the darkness.
The echo of her words had long since died when a response returned, too low for Damselfly to understand them.
“Buttons, where is that light?” she demanded.
“I cannot reach it,” Buttontail replied.
Damselfly went to help her companion. Before she could leave, a strong hand reached out of the cage and grabbed hold of her. In that moment the princess glimpsed a young woman’s face, attractive underneath the grime and desperation.
“Who are you?” Damselfly asked.
Trigger began barking at the perceived threat, and the prisoner’s hand retracted back inside the prison cell.
“It’s all right, boy, she doesn’t mean us any harm,” Damselfly calmed Trigger who rem
ained with his hackles raised.
Buttontail finally arrived with the torch, which he quickly handed over to Damselfly.
“I do not like fire,” he confessed, smelling slightly of singed fur.
Damselfly lifted the burning torch high overhead so they could see into the cage. A frightened young woman stared back at them, dressed in rags.
“Who are you?” Damselfly repeated.
“She’s clearly a criminal and we could get in a lot of trouble for being down here,” Buttontail fretted.
“My name is Damselfly. What is yours?”
“The princess?”
“That’s right, this is Trigger and Buttons.” Damselfly completed the introductions.
“My name is Uriel,” the captive revealed.
Damselfly carefully placed the torch against the cell so they could see one another. She stopped the curious Trigger from getting too close and had him sit beside her. “Why are you here?” she enquired.
“It is a long story, your grace,” Uriel answered formally.
“I want to know. Maybe I can help,” Damselfly encouraged.
“I don’t think so,” Uriel replied sadly.
“Orion may come back at any time. You don’t want to end up in the Evergarden, do you?”
“That is exactly what I want,” Uriel revealed.
Damselfly could see the prisoner better now; the woman was around twenty years of age with straw-colored curly hair that had knots from a lack of brushing. Uriel’s eyes were sparkling blue, they shone like sapphires in the light, and Damselfly found herself wanting to know this woman’s story.
“You want to go to the Evergarden?”
“Yes,” Uriel agreed. “I know it sounds crazy.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Damselfly reassured. “Because I want to go there as well.”
Uriel looked genuinely concerned. Her eyes softening, she pushed back hair from her face and spoke from experience.
“Do not make the same mistakes I made.”
“Tell me your story,” Damselfly pressed.
Uriel attempted to straighten her rags. She came closer so that only the prison bars separated them, and while she retold her story, she attempted to work on the knots in her hair.
“I was born Uriel Benavere to a noble household in the Magicgarden. My parents are well-respected and wealthy aristocrats who loved me very much. My parents opposed the Fairy King when he was a little-known sorcerer trying to gain power. They became afraid that he would seek revenge on our house and hired a group of soldiers to protect us. One of these men was different from the others. It is hard to explain why I believe this. I can only say that I watched him, and over time I became convinced there was something special about him.
His name was Kimson.
One day my family and I were travelling via carriage to the bazaar. I was excited to see all the stalls and my mother had promised I could purchase one item of my choosing. We were accompanied by our guards, including Kimson, who I watched through the carriage window. He rode a beautiful white horse like it was an extension of his being. He looked so handsome in his uniform that I could have stared at him all day without tiring.”
Uriel seemed lost in her memory; she stared into space as if her words had conjured the pictures there.
“What happened next?” Damselfly asked.
“We were ambushed.
A band of Sprites, evil fairies under the control of the Fairy King, surrounded us riding Baywolves that snapped at the horses and panicked them.”
“What does a Sprite look like?” Damselfly questioned.
“Sprites are nothing like the fairies in children’s stories. They have been corrupted by the Fairy King’s magic and they live to serve him alone. Sprites are usually between three and four feet tall with green skin. They have sharp teeth, dark eyes and excellent hearing.”
“Can they fly?”
“No, Sprites cannot fly. They are the only branch of the fairy family that does not have any magical abilities, which is why they are so obsessed with following a powerful magician. Don’t underestimate them though; they ride vicious Baywolves who can run faster and further than any horse, except maybe Winter.”
“Who is that?” Damselfly wanted to know, lost in the story.
“I am jumping ahead in my narrative,” Uriel cautioned. “We were ambushed by a group of Sprites; they fired arrows from yew bows, and the soldiers sought to defend us. I witnessed Kimson amongst the melee before my mother pulled me away from the window. I was more afraid for his safety than my own, and when our carriage became stuck, it seemed we would not make it out alive. Then something heavy collided with the carriage, forcing me to hit my head against the interior. I was disorientated and somehow managed to find myself outside in the middle of the battle. Our guards were brave men; they tried to defend us, only they were no match for the army of the Fairy King. Many were wounded or forced to flee, leaving only a handful of soldiers including Kimson between us and the Sprites. I thought we were all going to die, and all I could think about was how I never told him how I felt. When he saw me standing there, I could read the same regret in his expression, for the longest moment we simply stared at one another and then I saw a Sprite aiming his arrow at Kimson. I do not know what happened but I suddenly felt this power rise inside me and without conscious thought I deflected the arrow.”
“You used magic,” Damselfly stated.
“Yes, I do not know how,” Uriel confirmed. “I had never shown any signs of magical ability before that day; however, my feelings for Kimson seemed to manifest into something tangible and powerful. The Sprites fled, fearing magic.”
“Why do Sprites fear magic if they follow the Fairy King?” Damselfly queried.
“They follow the Fairy King out of fear, not loyalty,” Uriel explained.
“Then what happened?”
“My parents sent me to the Matriarch, a powerful sorceress who could help me learn to control my magical inclinations. Kimson came with me as my protector. The Matriarch became like an older sister to me and helped me control what little magical talent I possessed.”
“You are not a great sorcerer?” Damselfly asked regretfully.
“No, I have little power,” Uriel confessed. “Truthfully, saving Kimson from the arrow was the greatest feat of magic I ever managed, even under the Matriarch’s tutelage. Kimson would often encourage me when I struggled with my training. He became my everything and we were deeply in love with one another.”
“I did not realise it was going to be one of those stories,” Buttontail complained.
“Be quiet,” Damselfly scolded. “I want to hear more.”
“I fell pregnant just before my twentieth birthday. I did not have a chance to tell Kimson because we were all swept up in the rebellion led by your family against the Fairy King.”
“You fought in the rebellion?” Damselfly asked.
“Yes, although I admit we offered little support. Thankfully, we were successful and the Fairy King was exiled to the Evergarden. It was only later we realised that time had stopped. I understood that this meant our child would never be born, and I could not live with that truth. Despite my love for Kimson, I left without a word, saying goodbye would have killed me. I sought a way to return time and regain what I had lost. That is how I ended up here; that is my story.”
After learning about Uriel’s past, Damselfly told her own, explaining how her uncle had gotten ill and her father had become king. How the kingdom was suffering without time. She recalled her birthday party and her mother falling ill. Uriel was astonished to learn about Damselfly’s conversation with Death; the old king had not been seen since his defeat by the Fairy King.
“I have to retrieve Death’s timepiece,” Damselfly explained. “To do that I would have to reach the Evergarden and then take the timepiece from the Fairy King.”
“That is what I was trying to do before they stopped me,” Uriel revealed.
“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?
” Buttons interrupted.
Damselfly gave her greedy companion a stern look before returning to her new found friend. The princess was relieved to find someone who was in a similar situation to herself.
“They say it is impossible to reach the Evergarden,” Damselfly stated.
“I don’t believe that’s true,” Uriel replied.
Damselfly could not believe her ears. Never had she heard anyone say it might be possible to reach the Evergarden and now she might have a chance at saving her mother after all.
“How do you get there?” Damselfly asked.
“I do not know,” Uriel answered. “They stopped me before I reached the Evergarden, though I think there is a way and you just have to look for it.”
“Where should I look?” Damselfly enquired, desperately feeling her surge of hope diminishing.
“You should speak to the Matriarch in the Magicgarden,” Uriel suggested. “She knows a great deal about these things.”
Thronegarden Page 6