Disclaimer: "Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog" and its' characters are owned by Saban and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of this show. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.
Chapter 2: Apples and a Potion
Rohan had arrived in his village and headed to his hut. He was thankful that he didn't run into anyone on the way. He didn't want to have to explain his somber mood to anyone. His mind was still on the interaction he had had with Deirdre.
Rohan entered the hut that he shared with his best friend and fellow knight, Angus. He saw that Angus was resting on his bed and was surprised to see him. He thought that his friend would've been with Macha.
"Hello, Rohan. What are ye doing here?" Angus asked sitting up.
Rohan went to his side of the hut and pulled out a small trunk from underneath his bed. "I live here, Angus."
"Well, yes. I know that, but I thought that ye would be with Deirdre."
He felt a sharp pain in his heart. He wished that he could be with Deirdre, but it wasn't possible. He knew that his friend could tell his moods as easily as reading the current weather conditions by merely looking outside.
Angus sighed. "All right. I will just grab an apple to chew on while ye talk."
As Angus grabbed an apple from a pot next to his bed, Rohan sat down on his bed. The Mystic Knight of Fire waited for his friend to sit down before he began. "I know that Garrett broke off the betrothal between him and Deirdre."
His friend nodded his head and waved his hand, having already known all about it.
When he didn't continue, Angus finished the piece of apple and looked at him, his eyes never leaving the face of the Mystic Knight of Fire. "Why have you been ignoring Deirdre, Rohan?"
He hesitated and then shook his head. "Leave it be, Angus." He stood up and looked away from his friend.
The reformed thief took another bite, chewed and swallowed before he spoke again. "Ye need to speak with her."
He looked at his friend. "I cannot."
"If ye think she's upset about the end of the betrothal between her and Garrett, than ye, my friend, are an idiot."
He shook his head. "I know she's not upset about the breaking of the betrothal." He returned to looking through his trunk.
The Mystic Knight of Earth eyes turned thoughtful. "Ye know she has feelings for ye, but ye are not giving her the chance to tell ye."
"It doesn't matter," he responded, waving away the comment with a free hand. He wanted to believe that he could be with Deirdre but with his tarnished bloodline, he could never be enough for her.
Angus sighed softly.
"Rohan, are you there?" A voice called from outside the hut.
"Yes, Ivar," Rohan answered, glad for the interruption. "You may come in."
The Mystic Knight of Water entered, holding his Barbed Trident. He nodded politely to each of them in turn. "Are you prepared to help me search for the Silver Chalice?" Ivar addressed Rohan. He didn't have to mention that it was the fifth search for the item in the past couple of months.
"I am now," he replied as he pulled out an empty bag from his trunk. He closed the trunk and returned the trunk to its resting place.
"Still haven't found it." Angus commented taking the last few bites from the apple.
The prince shook his head. "No, it has still eluded me." He sighed, disheartened.
The reformed thief threw the core of the apple out the window and stood up. He rubbed his hands together and then clapped his dispirited friend on the back. "My friend, ye need a thief to find something that ye cannot find."
Ivar looked up at the reformed thief with one eyebrow raised and a grin lingering on his lips. "Is that so, my friend?"
Angus grabbed his Terra Sling Mace and slung it over his shoulder. "Of course, it is the only way to find anything of importance. Didn't ye know that?"
"I thought that was what the Crystal of Sight was for?" Rohan remarked.
"It hasn't worked for the Silver Chalice for some reason," Angus pointed out. "Even Macha doesn't know why the Crystal of Sight can't find the chalice. That doesn't mean that we cannot look for it ourselves." He grinned and walked out of the hut.
Rohan and Ivar exchanged looks that turned into chuckles. Ivar motioned for Rohan to go ahead of him. He obliged and he hoped that the search for the Silver Chalice would end at last so he wouldn't have to step foot in Temra again.
Macha handed Cathad the vial. "Nemain must be using magic to hide the Silver Chalice from Ivar. If it is Nemain," she added, since no one had seen the sorceress since Tynan had been defeated.
The Druid nodded his head somberly as he opened the vial and poured its contents into the cauldron. "We can only do what we can do."
Macha frowned but nodded her head. She felt useless. She knew that Ivar and Rohan had gone to search for the Silver Chalice again. It seemed though, after a half a dozen fruitless searches, it was lost.
Ivar wasn't giving up, which was admirable, but she had a feeling that the Silver Chalice wasn't going to be found in the ruins of Temra castle.
Her thoughts turned to Temra. The people of Temra were no longer monsters of Tynan's design. A majority of them had chosen to remain, leaderless and still angry with Kells. They blamed Kells for everything that had happened to them.
As she handed Cathad another vial, her thoughts went to Angus. When her thoughts were on the love of her life, she didn't hear what Cathbad said to hear at first.
"Macha?"
"I'm sorry, Cathad. My thoughts were elsewhere."
"Quite understandable," the Druid replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "We should give some of this to the king." He held up the cup that held the potion that he had taken from the cauldron. "He hasn't been feeling well."
Macha nodded and followed the Druid to the throne room.
As they entered the room, she saw someone sitting at the table next to Garrett whom she didn't recognize. Then she saw that he had the same nose as Garrett but that was as far as the likenesses went. The man was taller and had more muscle. His hair leaned toward a reddish-blond, and his eyes were of a dark green, like the color of moss hidden beneath a tree's shadow.
The young man grinned widely and rose from his chair.
"This is my brother, Griffin." Garrett introduced once he stood up. "This is Cathad, the King's advisor and Druid. That is Macha."
Griffin bowed politely to both of them. "It is an honor to meet both of you."
"Welcome, Prince Griffin," the Druid said with a bow. He placed the goblet in front of the Conchobar.
"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you," added Macha.
"Prince Griffin was informing us about his arrival to Kells," remarked King Conchobar.
While Griffin talked about wanting to come to Kells since he had heard stories of the Mystic Knights, Macha glanced at the others sitting at the table. Aderyn was quiet and her face was polite but impassive. Deirdre held her head high, but her eyes were a little red and it was apparent that she had a forced smile on her face. She knew that Rohan had been avoiding Deirdre and now it appears that he was breaking the princess' heart.
She would have to have a word with her brother. She focused her attention back onto Griffin. She focused her attention back onto Griffin and his current tale of his trip to Kells.
Angus kicked a stone with his boot and sent it tumbling down into the Temra catacombs. They had been searching for hours, and they still hadn't discovered the Chalice. He pulled an apple out of his pocket and took a bite. He saw Rohan give him a look, so he offered his friend the apple. The Mystic Knight of Fire declined with a wave of his hand.
"So, what's next?" Angus questioned, after swallowing another big bite from his apple.
Ivar sighed. "I guess Macha is correct and that Nemain does have the Silver Chalice."
"We did find some spell books and these other objects that Cathad and Macha should look at," Rohan pointed out as he pointed to the sack that he had set on the ground.
Angus nodded his head. Dark memories were starting to enter his mind, so he turned around and looked at his friends. "We may as well head out. The Silver Chalice is not here and we have nothing else to look for."
Ivar reluctantly agreed with the nod of his head and Rohan picked up the sack and slung it over his shoulder.
Angus heard something like the rapid flapping of wings; he spun around and saw a large, sable, raven.
The raven grasped the sack in its talons and ripped it away from Rohan's shoulder.
"Return that sack, Nemain," Rohan ordered as he withdrew his sword.
The raven morphed into a devious woman. She raised her nose into the air and glared at the three Mystic Knights below her.
"These belong to me!" Nemain exclaimed.
"Where is the Silver Chalice?" Ivar shouted, anger flaring in his eyes he pointed his Barbed Trident at the sorceress.
"It's been destroyed," she replied maliciously.
"I do not believe you, witch," Ivar spat.
Nemain flung her head back and cackled.
"Temra is free from you, Nemain. There is nothing for you to rule," Rohan declared.
"You would be wrong about that, Draganta. Or should I call you the Prince of Temra?" she sneered before she turned back into a raven. With her talons, she lifted up the sack and flew away.
"We need to warn the others about Nemain's return," Ivar said as he turned around and ran in the direction of Kells.
Angus looked at Rohan whose face had paled. He met his friend's eyes, but Rohan turned away and rushed away. Angus frowned and as he followed his friend, he was worried about Rohan and he hoped that the feeling of dread was not indicative of things to come.
