“What?” Tony said, fear dominating his big, blue eyes. “You can’t?”
“N-no,” came the confused reply. “I can’t... I... can only make out what seems to be blots of colour, but that’s it.”
Marco pursed his lips. “I think that fall on your head might’ve caused this, Fel,” he said; Felicity turned her head in his direction, but her eyes didn’t meet his. Luke self-consciously touched the bandage on his head; he’d got lucky.
“What do you mean, Marco?” Felicity asked, but knew the answer for herself. “Ah, of course... I fell on the back of my head, didn’t I?” Marco nodded.
“It might not be permanent, though,” he tried to reassure his friend.
“Let’s hope it isn’t,” Felicity said. “Luke, Tony, could you please help me up?”
As Luke and Tony helped Felicity to get up, Luke got an idea. “Violina, do you think your sister could cure Felicity’s blindness?” he asked the Fixie.
“I don’t see why not,” Violina said. “I mean – she’s never had experience with physical brain damage, but how difficult can it be to cure?”
“That sounds positive,” Daisy said, meaning to be joking, but she didn’t come off as very convincing. “Let’s hope your sister agrees.”
“And even if she can’t heal Felicity, we’ll make sure we can,” Ince said decisively. “You must go on your way now – it’s not safe to stay in one place for too long.
And so the Bond of Light continued on their quest, and the two Spirits vanished once more. Tony stayed close by his sister’s side, and held her hand to make sure she stayed on the right path. While they walked through the outskirts of the Fairy Forest, Luke found some time for himself to think. About his father, about the current situation.
About everything.
Although the words James had said to Luke still hurt him deep inside, he knew that it hadn’t been his father speaking. Right now, what hurt more was the fact that James had been captured by the Master again – and that Luke wouldn’t be seeing his father for a very long time. But Luke was determined to get his father back safely, and although he didn’t exactly know how, he did know he would get him back.
The Master wouldn’t win. Luke and his friends would make sure of that.
Royal Outcast
Of course there was no time to lose; Mari needed to see Queen Eloine, Violina’s sister. Only she could help them.
“So, how about we finally go and pay a visit to your sister, Violina?” Luke said. “I hope she’ll be willing to help us when she hears about our situation.”
“Well...” Violina scratched her neck, unsure how to continue. “I’ve already told you guys that Eloine and I haven’t spoken in quite some time, or have I?”
The teenagers nodded, although they didn’t quite understand what the fuss was all about, as they had never seen Violina’s sister and thus didn't know what she was like.
“I’m sorry if I haven’t told you the reason yet,” Violina continued, her voice suddenly much more monotone and dark. “It’s her spouse and his mother. I believe that they cast a spell over my sister and my people... and used that spell to banish anyone unaffected by the curse.”
“Including you?” Daisy asked.
Violina seemed reluctant to answer that particular question. She twirled a lock of her long, silver hair around her finger as she said, “Well, to be honest... yeah.”
Daisy gave a small nod. “Huh.
“...That’s not going to form a problem for us, is it?”
Violina started to pace around after receiving that question. “...No,” she said slowly, “but we’ll have to sneak in – probably... things have changed.”
And things had changed, indeed. The Valley itself had changed – there were small villages here and there that were inhabited by all kinds of magical creatures - and looked like they were growing quickly. In the period that the Master wasn’t around, inhabitants of the Silver Valley probably felt safe enough to come out of their hiding spots and rebuild what had been lost in all those years.
...And if the Bond of Light didn’t act quickly, the villagers would soon lose everything all over again.
As the Bond passed through the villages, they were gawked at wherever they went, but Luke was pleased to see that the Bond’s presence didn’t cause any great disturbances amongst the villagers.
The Guardians only traversed the most outer villages, as Violina said that certain parts of the forest were simply too dangerous to walk through.
“Alright, guys,” Violina said, as she and the Bond finally headed for the forest to head for Eloine's palace, “most of the Fairy Villages we will be passing are located in the treetops; that’s why the trees are so huge... but this does make us easily spotted.” Violina put on her hood as she led her friends into the forest; this was the moment to be cautious.
Violina advised the Bond to stay by her side, as she knew where to run in case they wre caught.
“But if we’re going to get caught, then we better make sure we get caught together,” Marco remarked.
It was as if Marco had jinxed it, as they actually did get caught shortly after; apparently, Queen Eloine had hired a royal guard, that just so happened to be on patrol.
The guards were with five, which made them outnumbered by one, especially regarding their height – the guards were taller than Violina, but not much taller than Tony. But then again, these guardsmen had both weapons and magic; something which ten out of twelve of their opponents didn’t have – or didn’t know how to use.
“Well, look at what we found,” one of the guardsmen said, grabbing Violina by the arm. His square-jawed face was marked by a big scar that followed a thick, jagged line from the right side of his forehead to the left half of his jaw.
Violina tried to yank herself free from the guard’s strong grip, when a white blast hit the guard’s chest, forcing him to let go of Violina as he stumbled backwards.
“And don’t even think about touching her again,” Luke said, his voice succeeding but his eyes failing to hide his excitement; his friends were just as surprised at the stunt Luke had just pulled as that Luke was. Then, with more cocky confidence in his voice, the redhead added, “Next time, I'll kill you.”
One guard turned his attention to his fallen friend to help him up, but the other two looked at Luke and started laughing. “Aye, a fine fellow indeed,” the broadest-shouldered one of the two said. “A little young perhaps, but I think Her Royal Highness will be more than pleased to have a chat with you.” While gesturing at his co-workers, the guard shouted, “Bag him!”
Luke was slightly caught off-guard by this, as were his friends, allowing for an easy capture to happen, if it hadn’t been for the help that was on its way.
“Guards,” a handsome, yet unfamiliar voice spoke, “would you care to share what you’ve encountered here with me?”
Mari noticed that the voice made Violina cringe; the girl put a comforting hand on her shoulder, which Violina seemed to appreciate.
Meanwhile, the man speaking had stepped forward to greet the Guardians. “My apologies for this rather rude treatment. I couldn’t help but overhear that you’d like to request an audience with my wife, the Queen?”
As the man spoke, the Guardians took a good look at whoever was standing in front of them; a Fixie with rather messy yet somehow still classy, silver hair, and skin that seemed to have a golden hue. His eyes were a true and pure shade of gold; they looked like shimmering jewels in the sunlight that peeked from between the leaves of the trees overhead.
“Uh – yes, we would like that,” Luke mumbled, suddenly noticing that the Fixie in front of him was taller than he was – much taller than the average Fixie would be.
The Fixie laughed. “Oh, pardon me,” he said, “I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.” He took a bow as he continued, “I am Kyan, King of the Valley Folk.”
A few awkward bows and curtseys were made to the King in return. “We are-” Luke said, but King Kyan cu
t him off.
“There’s no need for you to tell me who you are,” he said, “as I already know who you are. My mother already told me you were coming – that’s why I came out here.”
The Guardians were caught by surprise – even Violina hadn’t expected this. And, apparently, the guards had no idea, either.
King Kyan told the Guardians to come follow, and so they did.
The palace had changed. What once had been a quiet, humble temple, was now a massive, white building, with towers and whatnot – yet the front ‘porch’ still seemed intact.
The King led the Guardians to the main hall, which was also unfamiliar in appearance - nothing of Eloine’s humble interior had survived one-and-a-half a decade.
The King told the Guardians to wait in the main hall until someone came to get them; it was probably for the better if the Bond of Light just did as they were told. If the Guardians didn’t behave as the King had requested they’d do, he could kick them out of his castle just as easily.
Eventually, someone did come for the Guardians – presumably a lackey. He was short, even compared to the other servants that had passed by while the Guardians waited, and his hair was short and grey. Two green eyes peered from behind circular glasses.
“Her Majesty would like to speak with you,” he said. “Please, follow me.”
The Guardians nodded at the small elf – or, at least, that’s what James assumed him to be, as the small creature had no wings – to the throne room.
“I don’t get this,” Luke said, as he watched the lackey elf close the heavy doors and leave, “why are we being bossed around like this if we're supposed to be some kind of heroes?”
Luke heard Mari express herself with a disinterested sigh. “Does it matter?” she said, defensively crossing her arms in front of her chest. “By the looks of the way we’re being treated, it’s not like this ‘Queen’ or ‘Her Majesty’ is willing to help us, anyway.”
“Don’t say that, Mari,” Daisy said, offering her friend an encouraging smile. “I believe that our – well, I believe I should say your – parents know the Queen.”
“Considering the fact they’re friends with her sister?” Felicity added. “Yeah, they probably do.”
Mari didn’t respond, but rather distanced herself from her friends, looking somewhat frustrated. Mari didn’t blame her friends for the way she was feeling; they didn’t know Mari felt her mind slipping from her grip with every waking moment, they didn’t know that Mari wasn’t going to be like this for long.
Mari felt like she was a hazard to be around; a ticking time-bomb, without a timer to confirm the moment of detonation. And that was the one thing Mari simply couldn’t stop worrying about.
Mari was startled by the sound of a voice in her right ear. “Hey.” She turned to face the speaker, knowing it was Luke. “Hey.”
Luke put a hand on Mari’s shoulder; the tone of his voice was soft and comforting. “Don’t worry about things too much, Mari. It’s not good for you.”
Mari shrugged; she didn’t know how to respond, despite wanting to. “I can’t stop. I just feel like I’m losing control, and when I do...” She looked Luke dead in the eye. “I don’t want to know what happens to you guys, Luke.”
Luke smiled at Mari. “I won’t let you lose control, Mari,” he said. “As long as we all stay together, the Master won’t get to you.” He noticed that Mari was trembling – probably with nerves.
“Need a hug?”
Mari nodded, allowing herself to sink into Luke’s arms instantly; she hadn’t noticed how badly she just needed a hug before, and it made her feel good.
Luke silently rocked Mari back and forth as he held her. “Shh,” he whispered. “I’ll always be here for you, Mari. And not just me; we’ll all be there, whenever you need us. Unconditionally.”
Mari smiled at Luke’s chest. “I know.”
“How touching.”
A woman spoke; when the Guardians looked ahead into the throne room, they noticed a female Fixie sitting on one of the four thrones. Apparently, King Kyan – and a vast majority of the Royal Staff – had had a different woman in mind whenever they mentioned ‘Her Majesty’.
“Greetings, Guardians,” the female Fixie spoke as she rose from her throne. She had skin that seemed to have a silver glitter, much like Kyan’s golden skin. She, too, was surprisingly tall for a Fixie – human height, even.
The Fixie’s light brown hair was tied in a tight bun; a single, golden streak of hair was visible on the outside of the bun. Her eyes had the same colour as Kyan’s. Her face looked young - too young to be Kyan's mother.
“My name is Chiara, although most of my subjects address me with ‘Your Majesty’. Knowing you are important guests, you may choose which you prefer... although I do prefer ‘Your Majesty’.” Chiara straightened the creases out of her purple dress before ascending the steps and nearing the Guardians.
“Wouldn’t you kneel before royalty?”
The Guardians confusedly knelt before Chiara – they had no idea how to handle the current situation. Luke exchanged a confused look with both Marco and Mari, but neither of the two could help him on this one.
“Would you prefer if I had a go at this one?” Marco mouthed toward Luke, but Luke shook his head. He was going to handle this just fine – with care.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Luke said carefully, making sure he wouldn’t look up until given permission to do so – “but we came to see the Queen of the Valley Folk. Queen Eloine.”
“Ah...” Chiara scoffed. “Queen Eloine. My daughter-in-law.
“I’m rather disappointed that you came to see her instead of me.”
“If I may be so bold to ask, Your Majesty,” Felicity said, not quite following Luke's example, as she was looking up and on the brink of standing up as she spoke, “why are you disappointed with us? We simply require help. I don’t think it matters who gives us what we need, just as long as we get it.”
Chiara’s face instantly lit up. “Oh, but if that’s the case,” she said, seemingly completely forgetting her disappointment, “then why didn’t you say so?
“If you require magical assistance, then you’ve come to the right place, darlings.”
Chiara looked at the six teenagers and the Fixie, who were still sitting in a kneeling position. “Ah, of course,” she said. “My bad. You may rise.”
The Guardians gladly got to their feet; it wasn’t fun to sit in a kneeling position for that long.
Chiara addressed Luke, smiling friendlily at him. “How can I help you, Guardian?”
Chiara’s hand moved toward Luke's chest as she said ‘you’; Luke was hoping that Chiara would simply tap his chest, but Chiara rested her hand just above Luke's heart instead. Luke stepped back in discomfort, causing Chiara to move in closer than Luke had moved away.
“I know who you are,” the Fixie whispered, so only Luke would hear. Luke was rather taken aback by this strange lady; he had no idea what she meant by ‘who he was’. He was Luke, ans he was human. Nothing more.
Luckily, Luke's friends came to his aid quickly. “Ahum,” Violina coughed, “we have a child here who is in desperate need of magical healing. In fact, we have two.”
Chiara suddenly made a sharp turn in Violina’s direction. “Who let you past the gates?” she hissed. “Have you returned to wreak havoc in my kingdom once again, Violina dear?”
“For your information,” Violina snapped, “this was my sister’s kingdom, and mine, too – long before you and your precious boy showed up.” She paused. “But... no, this is a visit of peace. I am merely here to help my friends.”
Chiara seemed rather unconvinced, but did say, “Fine. But if you do even as much as try to pull anything, I’ll have you locked up and executed for treason.”
Violina crossed her arms and slightly leaned onto her right leg. “Fine by me,” she said. “But you’ll have to try and catch me first.”
“You are hereby dismissed, Guardians,” Chiara de
cided, paying attention to Violina no more. “Except for... you. I’d like you to stay, so your friends can catch a break while I prepare myself.”
Chiara was assessing Luke; once again, Luke got nervous. What did this lady want from him? Luke guessed that he was about to find out, and that he probably wasn’t going to appreciate the answer.
Luke made some helpless gestures toward his friends as they left the throne room; there wasn’t much they could do for him, anyway.
“So... Lucas Riverdale, right?”
The sudden change in Chiara’s voice as she said the name sent a chill down Luke's spine.
“...Yes?”
Chiara made a heel-turn into his direction, wearing an unsettling smirk on her face. Her red lips contrasted brightly against her greyish skin.
“How is your father doing, Lucas?” Chiara said slowly, the smile on her face growing wider as she spoke.
Luke's eyes grew wide as he defensively took a few steps backward. “What!?” he exclaimed. “Who are you!?”
Chiara shrugged, her smile not fading. “Oh, no one special,” she said, “just a woman with a desire... the desire to become Queen of the Valley Folk.”
“Why?” Luke asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. But Chiara gave it to him anyway.
“Because I want power, my dear Lucas,” the Fixie said, gesturing at the thrones further into the room. “The middle ones belong to my daughter-in-law and my son, Kyan. The two at the sides... they belong to the Princesses.”
“Violina and you?” James asked, knowing he was delivering the obvious answer.
“Not since she was banished, not anymore,” Chiara said sharply. “But... I don’t want a small throne. I don’t want to live in anyone’s shadow.”
Chiara began to pace around the room as she continued her ‘monologue’. “That’s actually where you come into play, my dear Lucas. I mean – I was originally planning to capture your friend Mari and send her straight to the Master, but now you’re here... I...”
She moved closer to Luke, who instantly backed away again, hoping he wasn’t nearing any corners or walls.
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