Chapter Three - Mischief in the Night

It was very late when Trini finally dragged herself out of the archives. To be perfectly honest, she had only left when she did because Billy refused to let her stay any longer; he had promised to clean things up a bit, organize the books so they would know where they had left off, and get some rest himself. She was tired enough to let him handle himself tonight even though she knew he was probably lying about the rest part. It would bother him endlessly to know that there were books missing - and desecrated - in the archives under his watch.

Trini stopped and frowned as she slipped through the heavy wooden doors to the Princess's suite and snuck toward her own small, adjoining room. Something was not right. She had expected to find Kimberly asleep in her chambers... but a closer look revealed no sign of the Princess. Not a single candle was lit, the blankets were still smoothly laid out on the bed and everything was in order, except for the fact that Kimberly was missing.

That was not a good sign. Kimberly obviously had not been back to her room yet... so where could she be? Trini couldn't think of a single good reason for Kim to have gone missing, especially at this time of night. It wasn't like her to stay out so late without telling someone. Tamping down on her fear and cursing herself for leaving Kimberly unattended even for a moment, Trini headed back into the corridor.

This late at night, the castle was always vaguely creepy. The only people up and about were a few tired guards scattered here and there... and ever since the plague had come, there were far fewer of those around, too. In the silent gloom, which seemed almost to close in around the small light from her candle, Trini was glad she had at least some idea where to start looking for the missing Princess. She would hate to wander around this place alone, at random.

Her footfalls echoed ominously as she came to the chamber where the royal crowns and other ancient artifacts and miscellanea were kept. She knew Kimberly had been spending a lot of time in this room lately, and suspected that the Princess might be lingering there later than usual tonight. She slowed and came to a halt. The door was wide open, a pitch-dark maw set in the stone wall, and there wasn't a single guard in sight. Highly unusual...

An uneasy feeling prickled up the back of Trini's neck. She did not want to go into that room, especially not alone. And yet, it felt as if something compelled her to stay. When she became aware of a small, glittering speck on the floor, where such a speck should never be, she realized that something was curiosity.

"Kimberly?" she ventured, her voice unreasonably shaky.

There was no answer.

She briefly wished that Jason or Zack was around to go in there with her, not that either of them were likely to be awake at this hour of the night even if they weren't on an errand for Kimberly. But since neither of the knights were handy, she would just have to check it out herself. Besides, it wasn't like she expected a monster to jump out at her or anything like that; the room was probably empty anyway. Kim had probably just forgotten to close and lock the door behind her.

Yeah, right.

"Kimberly, are you in there?" she asked, half expecting to hear the sounds of movement from inside. But only silence answered her. "I'm coming in."

She stepped gingerly through the doorway, as if someone or something might leap out at her at any moment, but the light from her candle revealed that the room was empty. Or, almost empty.

"Kimberly!"

The Princess lay crumpled on the floor, unconscious. The royal crown was on the floor near her, as if she had dropped it when she fell. There was a candle on a small table to one side of the room, but it had burned out long ago.

Heedless of any danger that might be lurking, Trini raced to kneel beside the Princess, frantically checking for any sign of life. It looked almost as if Kimberly was only sleeping; she was breathing at least, in deep, slow breaths, but otherwise she was totally unresponsive. No matter how many times Trini shook her or called her name, she just laid there. It was as if she were under a magic spell.

The thought chilled Trini to the bone and filled her head with fears of fairy-tale curses.

If magic was involved, she would have to find Zordon. But she hated the idea of leaving Kimberly alone like this, especially when she wasn't even sure that Zordon was still in the castle. It had been several days since she last saw him. What if he wasn't around to help? Worse, what if he couldn't help at all? She had no idea what had happened to the Princess, and was only conjecturing that it was something to do with magic.

"I should never have left you alone," she groaned, even though Kim couldn't hear her. "If I'd been here, at least I would know what had happened..."

She glanced back toward the door, half wishing that Zordon - or a witness - would just happen to wander past. There was no one; in fact, this part of the castle seemed almost eerily silent.

Something glittery on the floor nearby caught her attention. That's right, she thought. It was the sparkle that had caught her eye in the first place, cluing her in to the fact that something wasn't right. The artifact room was always kept spotlessly clean. There shouldn't be anything on the floor.

Trini frowned. It was some sort of yellowy-orange jewel. There shouldn't be anything on the floor, much less a big gemstone like that. Where had it come from?

Unthinking, she reached for it. It didn't occur to her that it might have come from the royal crown - or one of the other artifacts housed in this chamber - until she'd already grabbed it. And by then it was too late.

The resulting blast threw her back and away with enough force that for a moment she found herself airborne. For that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl as heat and pain seared through her body like a bolt of lightning. I guess I shouldn't have done that, she thought. But then time seemed to resume its normal flow, and she had no more time to think. Her head hit the ground with a loud crackas she landed. For an instant, she saw stars. And then... nothing.

-x-

Magic was afoot in the castle this night, Zordon was certain of it. It had been skulking about for a while now, a slippery, slithery thing that always seemed to just barely elude his grasp.

But not tonight.

Whatever it was, it was up to no good and he meant to put a stop to it. The kingdom had had more than its fair share of mischief in the scant few weeks since the old king and queen passed on. The last thing Princess Kimberly needed was a magical troublemaker lurking in her home. She was creating enough problems - and taking enough unnecessary risks - herself.

For now, she was the least of Zordon's worries. At the moment he was focused on the moving trail of magical energy that was sidling to and fro through the castle. He followed at a discreet distance, watching for any sign of activity.

Finally, something out of the ordinary appeared in the darkness: a young woman with dark hair, wearing an elaborate dress and pointed hat. She glanced around surreptitiously but made her way steadily deeper into the castle. After a moment, when he could be sure he would go unnoticed, Zordon crept after her.

They were headed down into a seldom visited section of the castle, which ages ago had been a dungeon, although it had not been used in that capacity in living memory. On and on the old, worn passages went, winding down and down into the earth.

Entering a large, pitch-black room, the woman stopped and turned. She flickered, becoming slightly transparent for a moment. Of course. It was merely a projection.

"What do you want, Rita?" Zordon asked tiredly. He had no desire to waste time dealing with Rita Repulsa's shenanigans. The sorceress had been famed in ancient times, but had been bound to her tower long ago - and so far as he knew was still bound there - and she could not venture far enough from it to come all the way to the capital. Still, it was worrying that she now had enough power to manage a feat such as this - and enough nerve to issue the challenge so blatantly.

"I need you to stay out of my way, old man. I've got plans, and I don't want you messing them up on me."

"I do not take orders from those who would do evil."

"Aw, that's too bad," Rita crooned. "I might be nicer if you went willingly."

"Cease this foolishness," Zordon ordered. "I do not have time for this."

Rita's lips curled into a wicked smile. "I think you'll have all the time in the world for my 'foolishness', Zordon." When the sorcerer made no reply, she gloated, "Look around you, you stupid old man. I've regained most of my old power, and Kimberly's stupid magic can't protect anyone until she finds a husband. You walked right into a trap."

Fire kindled over Zordon's palm, no more than a candle's flame but enough to illuminate the room. The dark stone walls were covered with runes and symbols drawn in white chalk. In the darkest corner stood a young blonde woman with the empty, soulless eyes of one thoroughly bewitched. She held a large quartz crystal in her hands; a shining silver chain spilled over her wrists.

"Say good-bye, Zordon," Rita cackled. "The sealing spell is almost complete!"

He felt a tugging on his very soul, and realized too late what she had been up to all along. The runes, the crystal, luring him down to this empty room... it had all been for one purpose and one alone: Rita intended to seal him away, where he could not provide assistance or advice to the Princess or any of the others. Rita was making a move for the crown of power.

And in just a few seconds, he would be trapped and powerless to stop her.

-x-

Billy was beginning to think he should have just spent the night poring over the tomes in the archive rather than listening to Trini's order to get some rest. The castle was empty, and it was positively giving him the creeps. The sooner he got back to the suite bestowed to him as the head archivist - a new affectation since the plague took his mentor, and too far from the archives for his taste - the better.

He kept his gaze firmly forward as he went, determined to ignore the chaos that had descended upon the castle since Princess Kimberly's decision to host a tournament in order to find a suitable husband. The entire castle had been all out of sorts lately, with people and things in places they didn't belong; give him the calm, quiet organization of the archives any day. He was much better suited to minding knowledge than dealing with other people. Unfortunately, his proclivities also gave him a tendency to be much more observant than other people.

That was why the darkened hallway branching off to the right caught his attention when he should have just kept walking. Or at least that was what he told himself.

Ordinarily, the castle halls were kept at least minimally lit at all periods of the day, even in the dead of the night. The plague had killed many guards, as well as nobles and other innocents like the previous head archivist, but that was no excuse for this level of neglect. The hallway was almost completely dark, not a single torch lit.

As he watched, frowning and wondering if he ought to report this to the captain of the guard, something else altogether out of the ordinary happened. There came a brilliant flash of light and a loud sound like the clap of thunder; someone cried out, followed by the unpleasantness of what sounded like a human body connecting with a stone floor.

He felt compelled to investigate, his mind filled with different scenarios to explain what he had just seen. He might be able to gain some very useful knowledge by poking around in there... but he knew he really should get Zordon, if the old sorcerer was still around, or some of the guards first. It could be dangerous, and he was no guard or knight, to know how to handle a dangerous situation. He was just a very curious archivist.

"This is lunacy," he said quietly, as if to convince himself. But he couldn't let it go. He knew he had heard something, but the only room down that hall for quite a way was the royal artifact chamber. And only the royal family and their closest attendants were allowed inside. Still, he had heard something, that much was indisputable, and it had sounded like someone in distress. A thief? Or someone else? There was a good chance it was the Princess, and if this turned out to be the case, he would be utterly remiss in his duties if he failed to provide assistance.

He made his way cautiously down the darkened hall until he came to the royal artifact room. The door was wide open, a candle's dim light emanating from within. That told him it was likely not a thief, but it was still strange. What would Princess Kimberly be doing up at this hour?

Cautiously, lest he intrude, he peered around the door frame. What he saw shocked him. Trini lay senseless on the floor in a crumpled heap, and Kimberly appeared to have only just stirred; the Princess's expression was one of great pain and confusion.

Throwing caution to the wind, his earlier exhaustion forgotten, Billy burst into the chamber. "Princess Kimberly! Trini! What happened?"

Kimberly groaned quietly and rubbed a hand against her head. "You tell me. The last thing I remember is - Trini, what are you wearing?"

Trini curled into a ball on her side, but did not respond right away. Billy watched with no small amount of worry as she finally opened her eyes and sat up. She looked more confused than anything else. And when he took the time for a closer look, Billy understood why.

"I... I don't know."

She was wearing yellow (unsurprising, as it was her favorite color), but not the dress she had been wearing earlier when she visited the archives. It was not a dress at all, but rather pants and a tunic made of loose, billowing material that resembled silk. It was definitely not something Billy recognized. And apparently neither did Trini or Kimberly.

"If I may, I would suggest that we attempt to piece together what has happened," Billy offered. He felt very awkward watching the two women. Something utterly strange had obviously just occurred, and none of his knowledge could explain it. But if he knew what each of them remembered, perhaps he might at least offer a few theories...

"That's not a bad idea," Trini mused. "Kim, you start. You were already here when I found you..."

Kimberly glanced down at her side, where the royal crown still lay. "I was here trying to figure this thing out," she admitted. "I... One of the stones was loose in its setting. When I poked at it, it came loose and I passed out."

"One of the stones? It wasn't -" Trini began.

"It was a yellow topaz."

A stone from the crown... Billy thought back to his time studying in the archives. Years ago, he had done some research into the royal crown and the jewels that were set into it; the thing was fairly crusted with gemstones, some valuable and others not. The largest stones were each a different jewel - emerald, topaz, ruby, and the like - and there was lore associated with each. But it had been years since Billy had read about these things. The knowledge was not fresh in his mind, nor was he able to refresh it with all relevant material having suddenly gone missing from the archives.

But from what he remembered, the yellow topaz was associated with the lands far to the southeast, a gift from a neighboring monarch of long ago, meant to instill wisdom and serenity in the bearer. He wondered if it meant anything that this was the stone that had come loose.

"See?" Kimberly was saying. "It went here." She had picked up the crown and showed Trini and Billy the empty setting where the jewel had been. "That's odd."

"What is it?" Billy asked.

"When the stone was loose, I could have sworn I saw something engraved beneath it," the Princess explained, "but now there's just nothing. It's blank. And the stone is gone, too." She groaned. "I hate magic stuff."

"I found your topaz, Kimberly." Trini held up her right hand. A large and impressive yellow topaz was set in an ornate gold ring on the middle finger of her hand, connected to a thin gold chain that went up her wrist and disappeared under the sleeve of her strange tunic.

"Perhaps you could explain how you got here," Billy probed, trying to get the discussion back on track.

Trini looked thoughtful, concentrating. She had spent enough time in the archives to want to be as accurate and thorough as possible in her recollection. "I went to my room when I left the archives," she began, "but Kimberly wasn't there. I was worried about her, so I came here thinking she might still be in here. When I came in... she was lying on the floor. The crown was beside her, and there was this gemstone on the floor. I wasn't thinking. I grabbed it, and I don't know what happened. It felt like a lightning bolt hit me, or something. It threw me backward..."

She was obviously struggling to remember clearly. "I hit my head on the ground really hard," she murmured, feeling gingerly around the back of her head with one hand. "There should be blood or a gigantic goose-egg or something, but there's not. There's nothing, and I feel just fine, other than a little headache. And the weird clothes. Billy, do you have any idea what might have caused this?"

He shook his head. He was mulling some things over in his head, but he had nothing of substance to tell them yet. He was an archivist. Knowledge was his forte, not ancient magic. If only he had access to the missing books from the archives...

"What happens if you try to take the ring off?" he asked.

"Good question." She tugged at it experimentally, but seemed to find no resistance. The chain that bound it was thin but strong, and long enough that she could slip the ring off her finger without difficulty. As soon as the ring was off, whatever transformation had occurred undid itself. Trini was instantaneously back in her dress from earlier, although she looked a little the worse for wear.

"It's attached around my wrist," she murmured, gently feeling the chain.

"Can you remove that, too?"

"It," she paused, frustrated, "It doesn't seem to come off. There's no clasp, and it's too small to fit over my hand."

"I'm so sorry!" Kimberly burst out. Trini looked confused. "It's my fault this happened to you. If I hadn't broken that stupid crown -"

Trini shook her head gently. "Hey, I was the one stupid enough to touch something in here. I should have known better."

"Regardless," Billy interrupted, knowing full well that the two women might get into an argument over who was more to blame for this mess, "we must figure out where to go from here."

"We should tell Zordon," Trini said.

"I'm surprised he isn't here already, actually," Kimberly muttered. "He seems to show up every time I screw something up..."

"It is odd," Billy agreed. "The crown is an artifact of great power... I'm surprised he did not know immediately when something out of the ordinary happened to it."

"Maybe it's nothing important then," Kimberly said hopefully, her tone almost questioning.

Trini looked skeptical. "Kim, it knocked you out and threw me across the room. I don't really think that qualifies as 'nothing'."

"Well, there goes that idea."

"It is getting quiet late," Billy said. "I would suggest meeting again in the morning to discuss tonight's events, preferably with Zordon in attendance. As there seem to have been no ill effects, I do not think there is any danger in waiting a few hours."

Kimberly frowned. "If it's not dangerous, then why did it make me faint like that?"

"I would conjecture that the sudden release of power created when the jewel came loose from the crown somehow caused your blood pressure to drop precipitously," Billy murmured. "If that is the case, it won't happen again unless another of the jewels comes loose."

The Princess gave Trini a look that clearly said, 'translate, please', but Trini merely shrugged. "He's right. It's late, and nothing has happened since... this. I think it'll be all right if we get some sleep. It'll be easier to think things out with clear heads."

With a sigh, Kimberly gave up. They parted ways a short while later, after Billy escorted both of them to the royal suite. It would have been amusing - imagine! Him, a guard! - if the situation were not so perplexing and worrisome. Billy couldn't make heads or tails of any of it... yet. But he was determined to find the answer, if he had to track down Zordon himself and ask.

-x-

The country estate was lit up like daylight in spite of the late hour, hundreds of lanterns strung all over the grounds. There were people everywhere. Everyone in the local village had been invited, and even the common folk had turned out in their best attire to enjoy the festivities.

It was the last stop Jason and Zack had to make before they could return to the capital to prepare for the upcoming tournament. It had originally sounded like a good idea - send the fastest knights out to spread the word - but by now Jason had had enough of parties and festivals and well-wishing and congratulations. Some were sincere, but many were not.

There were plenty of men who would kill to be in his position. Thankfully, the lord of this manor and his son were not among them. Indeed, the lord was noble in every sense of the word, and was only sending his son to attend the tournament because of the Princess's requirement that all unmarried knights of age attend. He hadn't even planned this party in advance, but he and his retinue had taken such a liking to Jason and Zack - and Princess Kimberly's plans to liven things up after the plague - that he had thrown open the doors to his estate and his kitchen, and declared that no one in his lands would go to bed hungry or sad that night.

The festivities were still going strong when Jason and Zack stumbled back to the guest room they would be sharing in the manor house; Jason didn't even want to ask who had been displaced to make room for them, though it was obvious the room was not dedicated full time to receiving guests. The room contained two small beds and some sparse furniture, which was just worn enough to tell him that someone lived there. But at the moment, he didn't really care. He was exhausted, his head pounding, and just wanted some sleep. Preferably without having to listen to Zack snore all night.

Zack flopped down onto one of the beds and let out a happy sigh. "Ah, this is the life!"

"Speak for yourself," Jason muttered, lying down on the other bed and covering his face with a pillow. "I feel miserable."

He knew Zack was grinning without even looking. "Drink too much wine tonight, Jase?"

Jason's response was a groan. "A little, maybe. And not enough sleep." Frustrated, he threw the pillow on to the floor. "But I'm sick to death of hearing everyone in the land congratulate me when I haven't even won anything yet."

"Well, you are the hands-down favorite. And you have to admit, Lord DeSantos knows how to throw a mean party."

"He does," Jason conceded. "I'm still glad to be heading home tomorrow."

"Yeah," Zack said. "Me, too. It'll be nice to have some peace and quiet for a bit."