Thronegarden

by Andrew Dickerson

  “Bravo.” Phoebus flapped his wings in silent applause.

  “How is that going to help?” Buttons posed.

  “I don’t know but it is worth a try,” Damselfly decided.

  There was a child who swallowed a bell.

  She could not speak for years.

  No one could she tell,

  Her many dreams and fears.

  Damselfly popped the bell into her mouth and grimaced at the metallic taste, like blood on her tongue. She had expected to feel different somehow, a connection between her and the bell’s magic, yet she felt nothing. When she went to relay this to her companions, no words came out, only a faint chime.

  “You did it,” Buttons praised.

  Damselfly was unsure exactly what she had done or how this would help her defeat Luyna, only that they had to try. The return of time was revealed by a distant crack of thunder and the drumming of rain bouncing off the castle stones.

  “Why are you crying?” Phoebus repeated.

  “He’s forgotten the whole conversation we just had,” Buttons remarked.

  Damselfly, unable to say anything, decided there was no time to waste and headed back towards the stairwell where they had left the others. The princess thought briefly of Orion who had sacrificed his life for her own and whether Death had visited his body yet. She owed him a debt; if the bell could save him, was it not her responsibility to try? Damselfly decided that she did not know enough about the bell’s power to risk something so dangerous, especially without confronting Luyna first. They walked purposefully back towards the staircase where Luyna was trying to win over the devastated Sprites to her side. Without the Fairy King, they would likely side with the next most powerful sorcerer which was without doubt Luyna. As Damselfly watched the face-off from behind Luyna’s army, Kimson and Uriel joined the rebels, bringing with them the news of Tyten’s passing. Kimson was supported by his partner after suffering several superficial wounds. Uriel, herself weakened by the long incarceration, seemed to gain strength from her newly found freedom. The Matriarch was delighted to be reunited with the pair, although their reunion was overshadowed by Jinx, the Sprite leader, agreeing to join Luyna.

  The tide of the battle had turned irrevocably. Even without Tyten, the Royal Guard fortified by the Sprites was too great a challenge for the rebels to overcome, especially with Luyna still in possession of Death’s timepiece. A flash of lightning added a sinister element to the atmosphere, as though nature was also in conflict after being held in place for so long. Princess Damselfly stepped forward knowing that if she failed now there would be no future for those she cared about most. Rat glimpsed her first though he could not maintain eye contact. He tugged on Luyna’s dress to gain attention. The sorceress stopped Damselfly in her tracks with those terrifying yellow eyes. Willing herself to be brave, Damselfly walked forward and was allowed through the armed defenders until she stood next to Luyna at the head of the staircase.

  “Have you come to surrender?” Luyna asked. “I am the most powerful sorceress alive and I still hold this.”

  A flash of lightning illuminated the timepiece which Luyna held up proudly, like a sword hanging over all of their heads.

  “Your army is defeated,” Luyna gloated over the battered remnants of the rebel uprising.

  Kimson, with fire in his eyes, still wished to fight, though Uriel held him back as the wounds he suffered were too great. Luyna laughed at the feeble sign of resistance, although it ended abruptly as Damselfly stepped forward challengingly.

  “I suppose it does come down to you and I,” Luyna acknowledged. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

  Damselfly simply stood looking at Luyna, knowing that her eyes were capable of speaking a thousand silent words and conveying a multitude of emotions.

  “I corrupted your uncle Abeldine because I wanted his throne,” Luyna confessed.

  “Your father never believed himself worthy of the crown, and I personally agree. It was easy to twist his mind and make him my puppet.”

  Luyna was boasting though her words were creating animosity, especially amongst the Royal Guard who had stood faithfully beside her all along. Now they realised her deception, many of them moved to stand behind their princess in a show of defiance. Luyna did not seem to care. She did not need soldiers or followers now that her magical competition had been neutralized.

  “Your mother is dead and it is because of me,” Luyna smiled.

  Damselfly wanted to scream her wrath, like the storm outside, for her uncle and her parents. Every terrible consequence of Luyna’s deceptions ran through Damselfly’s mind like a flood threatening to overwhelm her. It was actually thinking of Orion’s selfless sacrifice that gave her pause. If Damselfly allowed the pain to control her actions, then she would be no different than Luyna or Laetitia Shade who had suffered for her vengeance by misusing their power. The bell held old magic greater than anyone could remember. If brought to bear from a place of anger, it could consume them all and Damselfly was tired of fighting. Her sole purpose for everything she had done was to save her mother, and in that she had failed.

  Now she stood for the whole of Fable.

  Like her ancestors she represented the Thrane legacy and would once again battle evil. Orion had been her greatest nightmare, yet there was good in him all along, and Damselfly had to believe that there was some good in everyone. Luyna had given her Buttontail. Whatever the motivation behind such an act was irrelevant, some part of her best friend came from Luyna, and that was enough to help calm the rage that threatened to break free.

  “You think I won’t harm a child?” Luyna screamed, growing enraged by Damselfly’s passive demeanour.

  “Everything belongs to me now, Fable is mine to command, and I alone will reign, not as a queen but as empress.”

  Even Luyna’s remaining followers took a step back from the sorceress, whose entire being was glowing with magical energy. Her daughters, Coral and Celeste, each took one of Rat’s arms for comfort, bringing a delighted smile to the orphan’s face. Only Blakast remained completely intoxicated with devotion for his mistress. The usurper, loyal as ever, bathed in her glow, completely oblivious to anything else that was happening around them.

  “Let us finish this,” Luyna announced.

  Damselfly tried to think of her happiest memory; a time when her parents were together, and she felt safe. Her father’s coronation day had been full of ceremonies, so Damselfly had hardly managed to speak a word with either of her parents and everything seemed to be changing rapidly. That night her parents had come into her bedroom to say goodnight; her father had called her a princess though this time it was really true and that felt scary. Damselfly had cried because she did not want things to change, and her parents had comforted her and explained that nothing had changed regarding how much they loved her. Then her mother had sung a lullaby which Damselfly liked, and so now she decided to sing it. Damselfly ignored the storm outside. She put Luyna out of her mind and concentrated solely on that memory. When she opened her mouth no words came out, only a beautiful melody that washed over the crowd like a comforting blanket.

  The Lady of the Lake

  The Lady of the Lake loved looking up at the night sky,

  From her rocky throne she kept a watchful eye.

  Then one day a strange creature entered her inlet,

  Scouring the sea with hook and net.

  Frightened she swam down to the riverbed,

  There everything was dark and full of dread.

  The Lady of the Lake missed the smell of fresh air,

  She longed for the wind to once again blow through her hair.

  Most of all she missed the stars and her lunar companion,

  So she plotted to make the moon the newest member of her underwater nation.

  The Lady of the Lake was very beautiful,

  Even the tide could not resist her smile.

  Her eyes were like precious pearls,

  Pretty shells adorned her ha
ir which ended in perfect seaweed curls.

  The following evening,

  She invited the moon for some twilight dining.

  The Lady of the Lake returned to the surface,

  While he was enchanted by her beauty, she cast a spell to keep him in place.

  The Lady of the Lake cast the moon down to the bottom of the ocean,

  To give light to all her creation.

  The spell meant that the moon would remain her prisoner,

  Trapped in her underwater kingdom forever.

  The moon demanded his immediate release,

  Otherwise, he would see there was no peace.

  If he was not allowed to return to his obsidian tower,

  He threatened the Lady of the Lake would one day be under his power.

  The spell was eternally binding,

  Yet as the moon had been unwilling.

  There was one condition,

  Every year on the longest night the moon could escape his prison.

  If only he could avoid the Lady of the Lake’s gaze,

  He could be free, to return to his old home and ways.

  A sweet revenge he would have against the lady,

  Once he obtained his blessed liberty.

  Many longest nights passed,

  Without a chance to break the spell that had been cast.

  To make matters right,

  For the moon to once more set the night sky alight.

  So the moon waited patiently,

  Knowing that one day he would get his opportunity.

  Without the moon’s presence the night belonged to the Evening Star’s grace,

  Finally, he had reached his rightful place.

  The Evening Star decided to bless the longest night with a meteor shower,

  The Lady of the Lake was an eager spectator.

  She checked now and then that the moon was still trapped below,

  Though her eyes kept being drawn to the sky and the show.

  When the lights had burned to brilliance,

  The Lady of the Lake swam to the depths to share her experience.

  While she had been distracted the moon had fled.

  The light under the waves had been a reflection of the moon’s radiance reinstated.

  Luyna could not understand this new power Damselfly possessed. It was like nothing she had seen before and with it came a disbelief that such a thing could happen. Luyna had trained for years to control her magical abilities, learning from masters and always competing with her twin brother, Orion, despite their differences. As Damselfly continued to sing, Luyna gathered all her strength to repulse the magical effects. To Luyna’s surprise, even this reinforced attempt had no impact on Damselfly’s newly discovered power.

  “How can this be?” Luyna demanded.

  “Perhaps we should get out of here,” Coral suggested.

  “Don’t be stupid, girl, this castle belongs to me and I will not be chased from it by a child,” Luyna screamed manically.

  What Luyna could not discern is that her own physical appearance was changing the more she struggled against Damselfly’s voice. The sorceress’s hair was turning silver, her skin was aging, and her clothes were growing loose as she literally shrank before their very eyes.

  “Stop, Luyna, before it kills you,” the Matriarch warned.

  Luyna paid no attention, knowing that her victory was so close and all she had to do was remove this child from her path. With a stubborn show of power, Luyna released a fresh burst of energy that should have destroyed half the castle, and yet Damselfly remained untouched, her eyes closed, lost in the memory of her song. By now even Blakast had become concerned for his mistress, though when he scuttled up beside her, he was zapped by stray energy. Like a loyal hound, the usurper curled up beside his mistress, unable to get through to her yet unwilling to leave. Coral and Celeste were far more practical about the situation. They could see their mother destroying herself before their eyes and understood the repercussions that they would face without her protection. Their only chance was to escape now while all eyes were focused on Luyna. With Rat dutifully leading the way, Coral and Celeste disappeared into the shadows.

  Luyna was oblivious to her ’daughters’ departure, ignorant of Blakast’s lingering loyalty and blinded to the damage she was inflicting on herself. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart, louder than the storm outside. Rage beat out any other emotions until it consumed her. With a sickening finality, Luyna felt a piercing pain in her chest. Letting out a strangled cry, she fell to the ground. Her vision was blurry so when she looked at her unfamiliar hands, it seemed to be a trick of the senses. When Luyna tried to get up she had no strength in her limbs and found herself trapped within her own body. The Matriarch came forward, knowing the battle was over. Luyna looked a hundred years old, only her yellow eyes revealing it was the same person. Few spectators even noticed Damselfly had stopped singing; the melody lingered in the air and held everyone in a trance.

  It was over. Fable was safe.

  A forceful gust of wind extinguished all the lights in the castle like a giant hand covering the sky. No one moved until a flash of lightning revealed a cloaked figure retrieving his timepiece from Luyna’s frail grasp. Blakast wailed pathetically by his mistress’s side. While others reignited the lights, it was to find Death gone, Luyna still alive, although barely, and her children, along with the betrayer Rat, missing. Damselfly ran across the hall to be embraced by Kimson and Uriel.

  “You did it, sweetheart, you saved us all,” Uriel cried.

  Damselfly hugged Uriel, feeling safer than she had in what seemed an eternity. The enormity of what had happened would not set in for some time, yet one thing did reveal the startling consequences of this moment. Holding Uriel close, she felt the baby inside her kick, and the presence of new life beginning became a reality.

  Chapter 20

  The Beginning of Times

  Phoebus the owl flew down the burgeoning River Thane which threaded through green pastures that supplied fresh crops and animals. A new born ewe was taking his first trip to the water’s edge with his mother, learning the risks and rewards that life could bring. Bakka, the great smith, had been working on a fresh series of rivers planned to stretch across Fable. The Garden Gates had been an ingenious feat of engineering, yet their purpose to connect the kingdom had ultimately failed. Now they would be replaced with rivers reminiscent of the days when Bakka’s father had worked as a shipwright at the castle. A spectacular spring was blossoming across Fable. Time was catching up with itself after being on hold for so long. Every day new flowers were blooming, the numbers of animals in the fields were increasing and the dawn was greeted by the song of nesting birds. Phoebus was far too old for chicks of his own, yet he reveled in the joys of spring, flying with an ease that belied his many years. Travelling downriver he came to what had been known as the Wintergarden. Now the snow had thawed, leaving behind a fertile, rich soil that was bringing people back in droves. The small village that Damselfly had visited was becoming a full-scale town with all manner of craftsmen and wares being offered. Many men lived off the woods’ bounty, always careful to respect the Peritwinkle’s territory, of course. Phoebus turned away from the sun, heading towards his personal favourite place in Fable, the Fairiegarden which was a land of small creatures and great beauty. It had been enhanced by the recent arrival of Jinx and his band of Sprites who had been gifted with the ability to fly by Damselfly, before Phoebus himself had removed the magic bell from the princess’s throat. With their new abilities of flight, the Sprites were finally accepted into the Fairiegarden where they continued to wreak havoc and cause mischief to their new neighbours. In every direction except east, Fable was at peace with greater unity than anyone could remember. In Shadowgarden, the Scorj remained entrenched in the past, unable to move forward even after so many years of civil war. Yet time would resolve all such issues. Phoebus knew that things were changing and for the better. Only one thought concerned the wise ow
l and that related to Luyna’s missing daughters. Coral and Celeste had disappeared from the castle on that fateful night, no doubt guided by the orphan Rat. Any attempt at finding them had failed, and Phoebus guessed they had journeyed into the Lostgarden. A place where all the things one loses over a lifetime end up. Filled with labyrinths and mazes, it was practically impossible to navigate. Should the trio eventually find their way back from the Lostgarden, Phoebus foresaw only danger.

  On a beautiful spring day like this, it was difficult to worry about the future. Phoebus headed home, which was now Castle Thrane. The old fortifications had been patched up, banners and flags hung from the towers so there was no longer a feeling of decay. Inside, King Abeldine was throwing a feast for his residents alongside his new queen, the Matriarch. With the return of time, residents of Thronegarden had seen their stores refilled and food was bountiful once more. There was a great deal for the people of Thronegarden to celebrate. The royal wedding was still fresh in their minds with a simple ceremony and a party that had lasted several days. King Abeldine was completely restored after his illness; the Matriarch had sparked something deep inside him back to life, and it was a joy to see. Gregorian had been named Commander of the Guard after Bakka declared the Garden Gate would be replaced by new waterways. Gregorian may not be the greatest swordsman, though he had proven his loyalty beyond doubt, and the other guards accepted him without hesitation. Any thoughts of the Fairy King and Luyna had been banished with an explosion of enthusiasm. Only Blakast, a prisoner in the castle dungeon, mourned their departure. A great banquet had been set up in the royal apartments with all welcome. King Abeldine sat at the head alongside his new wife and queen, the Matriarch. Gregorian sat proudly on the king’s other side along with his guards. Pariah, as Master of Bells, was also given a prominent position with greater research into the lost magical art declared by royal proclamation. Old Nana and Pilgrim were reunited, this time permanently. Although they missed Damselfly, they found solace and companionship in each other. Librarian Scroll had newly been appointed as Judge Scroll, replacing the dismissed Judge Vale, who had been cast out for his collusion with Luyna and condemning Damselfly to the Evergarden.