I'm really excited to get this chapter going, so we'll just skip the jibber-jabber and get right down to it.
"No, Mei Mei. It's time to wake up." – Simon Tam, Firefly
Chapter 7: Dazed and Confused
Autor stared with amusingly wide eyes at the puppet he held in his hands. She stared back at him silently.
"Hey!" she piped, "I remember you, zura!" Fakir came over just then.
"Welcome back, Uzura," he smiled.
"Fakir!" she jumped down, "Mytho sent me to find you, zura!"
"I see," he said, not surprised, "Did he tell you how we're supposed to reach his kingdom?"
"He gave me this ruby, zura," she held up her drum, "He said it'll help us find Duck, zura!" Fakir looked at the tiny duck in his arm, newly deceased, looking so small and helpless.
"Before we go," he said, "there's something I have to do." He knelt by the lakeshore and laid the duck down on her back. He went into the house, came back out with his tablet and pen, and wrote.
His writings created a bunch of white roses that sprang from thin air to surround the duck's body; more and more appeared until she was completely covered with them. A light shone from underneath and the light form of a beautiful swan spread its wings and took flight into the sky toward the sun. When the roses blew away, the duck was gone. Malen sang a line from the song that inspired her.
So put on your best, boys
and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
"Keep shining, my swan," Fakir murmured, "Shine so no matter what, I will surely find you."
The first thing she was aware of on her climb back to consciousness was soft warmth, absolute physical comfort. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good. She could probably stay here forever, but she kept going on her journey to the waking world. The first time had been a fluke, an instinctive reflex of someone who was totally out of it. This time she would arrange her focus, line up her senses, and get a grip on herself. This time she would wake up.
And she did.
At first she thought she might have gone blind, for her eyes slid open to see nothing but white. Then she glanced around and discovered she was lying in a huge bed; the only strength she had was in her head and she slowly moved it to her right. She saw her shoulder, her arm, and part of her chest. She was wearing a white dress! She couldn't see it all, but she saw her sleeves went halfway to her elbows and were almost pleated. She could also see white roses all around her!
"Huh?" she groaned. She wasn't quite awake enough to form coherent sentences yet.
It was then that she noticed…she was alone.
'Isn't anyone here?' she thought, as fear began to wrap its cold talons around her new heart. 'Where am I?'
"Uuh!" she squeaked faintly. Tears crept into the corners of her eyes. She kept making noises like a frightened child until her terror overwhelmed her and she screamed with what little energy she had. She stopped when she heard footsteps to her left; a door flew open and someone ran in, whipped open the bed curtains, and stood over her with a freaked-out look on her face.
"Duck!" said the person. Duck gasped.
"Rue!" she spoke her first word and the tears spilled out in relief. Rue cleared away some of the flowers to sit on the bed and gently took Duck's face in her hands.
"Duck, you're awake!" she exclaimed, "I can't believe it! Are you all right?"
"Rue, what's going on?" Duck asked, "Where are we? Why can't I move? How did I turn back into a girl?!"
"Ssh," said Rue soothingly, "It's all right, Duck. Everything's all right. Just clam down and I'll explain everything."
While the princess told the newly awakened girl everything she knew, the prince they had once shared a love for was on his way back to his castle, flying over the golden fields of barley and rye, over the winding road that separated them, until he came across Clara's army. They were milling about in a confused fashion and were calling Uzura's name! Mytho smoothly descended.
"Soldiers of Clara," he asked in a commanding tone, "Why are you calling for Uzura? If your intention is to do her harm, know that I will stop you with all my power!" The soldier in blue approached him and bowed as low as his toy body would allow.
"My lord Prince," he said, "I am Captain Loys, commanding officer of the First Regiment."
"Speak, Captain," said Mytho, "Why do you search for my small friend? Has your mistress need of her?"
"If such was the case," said Loys, "we would indeed be in pursuit, arms at the ready. But there is something in her eyes that overpowers our loyalty to Mistress Clara. It is inexplicable but it grips us, nevertheless. If ever we find the puppet child again, my men and I will offer ourselves as her servants."
"Do you no longer serve Clara, then?" Mytho asked.
"No, lord prince," said the captain, "We have found a stronger bond of servitude. We now seek our new mistress—Mistress Uzura!"
"Mistress Uzura!" echoed the soldiers. Mytho smiled.
"Have no fear, Captain Loys," he said, "Your new mistress is on a journey and will return soon. In the meantime, I must hurry to my castle and defeat Clara before she does anyone harm. I advise you all to stay away from Clara. She'll seek to destroy you all once she learns of your desertion."
"We shall," said Loys, "but while we wait upon our mistress, is there any manner in which we may assist you?" Mytho thought for a moment.
"Actually," he said, "there is one thing you could do."
"After we found Clara, we told her what we wanted her to do," Rue explained, "I gave her an image of you from my memories and she used it to create your body."
"How did she do it?" Duck asked curiously.
"I don't know," Rue sighed, "Mytho gave her a room in the guest wing of his castle. Whatever she did, she did it in secret…with Raven's magic."
"What?" Duck's eyes widened, "Raven's magic?"
"I went to visit you today," said the princess, "I found a dagger on the floor with a Raven's feather engraved on it." She decided not to mention what Clara had been about to do with that dagger. "Once we figured it out, we took your body from her and she attacked the castle. Mytho and I got you here, but he went back to fight her."
"But where are we?" said Duck.
"An enchanted tower," Rue smiled, "Mytho said his mother lived here before she met his father. It will protect us. You'll need it until you get your strength back. Speaking of which, I should make you something to eat."
"Rue," Duck interrupted, "Why did you and Mytho do all this for me?"
The princess looked at her for a moment.
"You gave us our dreams," she said with true humility, "We wanted to give you yours." Duck was floored and her eyes began to glisten.
"I'd hug you if I could," she smiled as the tears fell. Rue smiled back and gently hugged her.
Uzura tatted away on her drum as she sat in the bow of the boat Fakir was rowing. Autor kept a second lookout and Malen continued to sketch on her smaller pad that she always had with her in case of inspiration.
They had all agreed beforehand that, as artist of the story, Malen absolutely needed to keep her pad and pencils on hand, so she had a carrying bag with her that also held Fakir's manuscript.
Right now, she was sketching away on her pad with a look of intense concentration on her face; inspiration had struck again, and as we all know, Malen always obeyed her gift. The boys left her alone and continued with their own duties, watching for Uzura's ruby to show them that they were close to their destination.
"Stay close," said Fakir, "We're going into a fog." Autor scooted closer to Malen and held a lit lantern over her sketch pad; he saw what she was drawing and looked concerned.
"Uh-oh," he said, "Fakir?"
Both boys were peeking over her shoulders now, but she ignored them and managed to focus on her art. Fakir reached into her bag, grabbed his manuscript, and wrote some more.
"Arm yourself, Autor," he said, watching his pen.
"We don't have any weapons," Autor said seriously.
"We do now," Fakir pointed his pen under the seat in front of them. Autor fished around and pulled out a strung bow and a quiver full of arrows.
"I've always wanted to try archery," he mumbled with interest as he put the quiver on his back. He also found a brown-leather-sheathed sword with a black handle. "I suppose this is yours." He leaned it against Fakir's seat next to him.
"Thanks," the writer said, "Now put on the cloak, grab Uzura, and get down." Looking curious again, Autor reached under the seat again and pulled out a dark green hooded cloak! He shook his head.
"Your power amazes me, Fakir," he said as he donned it, "Come down, Uzura."
The puppet child stopped drumming and hopped down.
"What are you doing, zura?" she asked.
"We're heading into a foggy area," he answered, "There could be trouble."
"Trouble, zura?" she repeated. A tiny spark of white light fizzed in front of her face like a dying star and disappeared.
"Ohh!" she gasped, "What was that, zura?" Autor gathered her into his cloak.
"That's the trouble," he said grimly. Another light like the first one blinked in and out, and another and another until the air was full of tiny white lights.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fakir," said Malen, "It's my fault they're here." She showed him the picture she'd just finished of him and Autor fighting against the lights with their respective weapons.
"Don't worry about it," Fakir shook his head, "It's in the story."
It didn't take long for our heroes to see exactly why they were taking such precautions; soon enough, the tiny lights faded away to reveal themselves as smoky white fairies with wings like dragonflies. They didn't wear anything, but their bodies weren't detailed, either. They looked like they could have been wearing slim body suits.
"Mist pixies," Fakir called them, "No better than a will-o-the-wisp."
And he was right; no sooner did they reveal themselves than the Mist Pixies swarmed all around the boat like angry bees, giggling fiendishly as they attempted to confuse the young students and throw them off course. Autor shot an arrow into them, but to no effect.
"Save your arrows, Autor!" Fakir shouted above the noise as the boat turned in circles where it was, "It's no use!"
"Then what can we do?" he asked, shielding Uzura, "They'll capsize us!"
"Not if I can help it," Fakir replied, "Malen! See if you can draw me dancing with them!"
"Dancing?" Autor repeated incredulously.
"I'll try!" Malen nodded, adjusted her glasses, and bent over her pad. Autor held the lantern for her while swatting the mischievous pixies away with his hand.
Rip! A pixie laughed hysterically as it waved the little shred of paper it tore from the pad like a flag.
"Ah!" Malen cried out, "Stop that! Get away!"
"Here!" Autor took off his cloak, whipped it over her, and stuffed the lantern underneath with her. He then grabbed a fold of the cape and covered Uzura, then stood protectively in front of them with an arrow at the ready and his eye on Fakir.
The young writer stood at the prow in a ballet position: His right hand was raised straight up, his left arm out at the side, and his right foot was turned outward at the front with the left put back. It was similar to Mytho's grand pose from when he changed back into a prince. The pixies paused in their flurry, then some of them gathered into one body in front of the boat while the rest of them created a sort of dance floor. The first group created the shape of a normal-sized female, complete with wings. It was solid enough, but little more than a silhouette in looks. They seemed to have come to an understanding with Fakir, because when he leapt off the boat in his stag-like grand-jete, they allowed him to land solidly on their makeshift dance floor. Malen and Uzura poked their heads out from under the cape to see what was happening.
"What's he doing?" Malen asked. Autor knelt next to her.
"Speaking the only language pixies know," he answered, "He's going to dance us past them."
Author's Review:
The name Loys is the peasant alias for Albrecht, the prince from Giselle.
The Mist Pixies are my homage to the winter pixies from Fantasia. They're my favorite ones!
Question: Isn't "Dazed and Confused" the name of a movie or something? It sounded like one to me, hence the chapter title.
Next chapter goes back to what's happening in Mytho's kingdom, so stay tuned!