A/N: Well, here's another one. Thanks again for all the reviews, you guys are AWESOME! Please enjoy:
The Silver Veil
XI.
I.
The farmer's son, together with his traveling companions, arrived on the near doorstep of the witch for whom he had been seeking for many long weeks. Deciding that it was best if he went the rest of the way by himself, he freed the thieves and the family from his company and foraged on alone.
The hut was in the middle of a waste, where neither snow nor vegetation dared grace the landscape. The wind was constantly blowing, whipping and catching at the son's already worn clothes and cloak. He was undeterred as he knocked at the witch's door, and was promptly answered by a hunched old woman with warts and crooked twigs for fingers.
"Ay! What is it you want?" she demanded in a creaky voice. The farmer's son bowed respectfully.
"Is there a way I might share your roof and speak to you at length?" he asked. She considered him with coal-black eyes that glittered in the dim light.
"Ay! Get in, you're letting in the cold," she told him, and stood aside to let him in. The inside was as shabby as the outside, and the farmer's son waited until the old witch flicked a hand to show him his seat.
When he did sit, he was facing a window, roughly hewn from the poor stones that were held together by the witch's magic. Outside, the farmer's son thought he saw a flutter of wings, but it was gone on a second look.
"Madam witch," the farmer's son started, as the old woman was scuttling around the kitchen, and he urgently wanted what he sought. "My love is locked in a tower impossible to climb, guarded at every entrance, and desperate for freedom. I have come to ask for your help."
The witch grumped, dropping several pots in the sink before turning to face the handsome farmer's son.
"Oh, really?" she crowed. "You're penniless! Yet you've come from the far south, traveled a dangerous road, faced many perils, all for some princess in a tower?" After she'd said this, she cackled heartily.
"And how do you know she loves you?" she asked finally after she'd calmed some. The farmer's son sat straighter and was quite perturbed at being mocked.
"The birds told me," he answered her truthfully.
"The birds?" she repeated, and he nodded in confirmation.
"And why would the birds tell you anything?"
"They wish for me to help free their friends from the castle," the farmer's son answered her, feeling like he was being examined inside and out by her black eyes.
"These birds have a lot of faith in you," the witch answered seriously. "And I can see why. You possess kindness and bravery, but there is one more thing that you must possess before I help you." Here she malevolently grinned, and the farmer's son had the distinct impression that the witch was evil. "And that is the capacity for sacrifice. And it so happens that you can kill two birds with one stone." She heckled softly at her turn of phrase and was pleased when the farmer's son grimaced.
"I will gladly give anything you wish," he told her finally. The old witch had been counting on that.
After he'd given her what she asked for, he waited patiently as she weaved together a veil made of her magic, silver hair. He thanked the witch, tears running down his face, and he stepped outside. The birds, watching from above, fluttered their wings around his face as the farmer's son donned the veil over his head. The veil expanded magically, giving the farmer's son grand wings to fly with. The birds flew next to him, guiding him home to the tower where his beloved princess waited for him.
When he arrived, the princess was overjoyed to see her love alive and well. But when he stepped through the window, she noticed he did not see her until she cried out. Then she realized.
The price for the veil was his eyesight. He had never even seen her, the one he loved so dearly! She burst into loud wails, lamenting his loss. But the farmer's son chuckled and smoothed her sorrowful brow.
"It was a worthwhile sacrifice," he told her simply. "Because now I am with you, my love." The princess could not argue with him, and besides that, what was done, could not be undone. Together, using the silver veil, they freed the caged birds in every room and hall of the castle, and escaped among the chaos. Then they flew away, to live happily ever after.
II.
"What…the heck…are those?" Diana asked Ra'Veath as she hefted her javelin menacingly. She gave a half-glance at the Elgato beside her, as her eyes were primarily occupied with the approach of about twenty multi-color puffballs rolling towards them. The other three Elgatos were in varying stages of readiness, their feline eyes assessing the danger of what looked like fuzzy bowling balls that matched the reds, yellows, oranges, and browns of the forest.
"I'm…unsure, Diana-el," Ra'Veath answered. Great, Diana thought. A fate worse than death: attack by the puffballs! A slight breeze shifted the autumn leaves above their heads as the creatures surrounded the small group and came to a halt a mere three feet away from them. Silence as nothing happened. Everyone seemed locked in place, hardly breathing for the anticipation.
"Choo!" One puffball popped, hopping in the air and unfurling so that eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were visible. Two long, vine-like feelers waved around, and Diana noticed the creature's perfectly round, ball-like body rested on two paws. It took everything Diana had to suppress the 'awwww' that rose in her throat.
"Fuzzles!" Ra'Veath exclaimed, lowering his daggers with obvious relief. The one who'd first unfurled, jumped and wrapped the two feelers around Ra'Veath's neck. The senior Elgato grinned widely at Diana as he scratched good-naturedly behind the large, flap-like ears. "They're perfectly friendly."
"As opposed to…?" Diana asked, shrinking her staff finally. Ra'Veath chuckled heartily as the smaller creature tickled him with its feelers.
"Fazzles. They look almost exactly like fuzzles but are known for tearing the throat out of unsuspecting travelers. Very dangerous those are," Ra'Veath answered her. Diana bit her lip, thinking of how ironic it was that such a cute creature could be bloodthirsty demon spawn.
In a chorus of choos, the rest of the fuzzles revealed themselves and started bouncing up and down, vying for attention. Diana was a favorite; she had four or five of them hanging on her arms and neck nuzzling and licking her. After all the internal abuse Diana had suffered, these little cuties were exactly what she needed.
"They are so adorable!" Diana giggled, vaguely wondering if she could possibly keep one as a pet. Eric would love these little guys, she thought. Then horrified she thought: Why did I just think of him? It hurt too much even picture his face. Where is he? Is he…alive?
Trying to stop the flooding of anxiety and worry was useless. It spilled into her thoughts and gut like a burst dam. The fuzzles, strangely enough, seemed to sense Diana's sudden sadness because more began piling on, chooing loudly, and what was more, they began rising like helium balloons. First one, then two, then five, then all of the fuzzles were floating, and with them, Diana and the Elgatos, wrapped firmly in the grips of fuzzle feelers.
"Hey! Hey! What're you doing?!" Sh'Gyra growled, not happy with being lifted without his consent. "Put me down! Put me DOWN, I say!"
"Calm yourself, Sh'Gyra," Ra'Veath interrupted coolly. His subordinate shot him an agitated look, but ceased yelling. "They're flying us, I think."
"That's great and all, but where to?" Diana called, feeling like some sort of marionette. Ra'Veath said nothing, only giving her a shrewd look. She understood what was meant by that look.
Although not totally unconcerned with the distance to the ground, the Acrobat actively decided to pry her mind away from Eric and his obvious absence. So as they rose, she gazed at the beautiful forest accented with all those bold colors, like some painting from Picasso. The gentle swaying of trees, and the odd little furballs that were carrying her and her friends away added to the strange magnificence that seemed to permeate this Realm.
"Diana-el, look there," Ra'Veath said, pointing to some movement far below them near the border of the forest. She followed the line of his finger and discerned several striped tents and flapping flags. The icon on the flags curdled her mood.
"Venger," she spat, hating how close his minions were to the forest…and to the fuzzles. The word left a distasteful sourness in her mouth. What is he doing here?
"Choo!" the fuzzles chorused, but whether they shared in Diana and the Elgato's fear was not evident.
Eventually the fuzzles, with their passengers, floated away from the assembled troops to the deep heart of the Autumn Forest, where the trees parted to allow water to sparkle in the sun. It was only because Diana had a bird's eye view (or would that be fuzzle's eye view?) that she saw that the pool was a perfect circle. Looking down on it, it resembled a compact mirror.
"Is that the…?" she didn't finish her question, fearing a mistake but more terrified of the rising hope in her breast.
"Pool of Reflection," Ra'Veath said, completing the statement, whilst giving a small hand signal to the other Elgatos that indicated that they should be alert.
In the midst of her awe, the answer to Dungeon Master's riddle came to her like a flash of light in the dark. Clever, she thought. The veil is underneath that which reflects what is above. It's in the pool. Upon retrospection, Diana considered this latest riddle the easiest by far since she and the others arrived here. Maybe Dungeon Master's losing his edge?
Gradually the fuzzles lowered everybody to the forest floor near the edge of the crystalline pool. Ra'Veath nodded to Sh'Gyra and the two others, and bade Diana to wait as they checked the area. The Elgatos disappeared in the foliage and calling back with an occasional "All clear!" After several slow, rolling moments, in which Diana swore that an eternity had passed, Ra'Veath eyed the pool and judiciously dipped in the tip of his spear. The ripples broke the shining reflection and the calm surface.
"If what you think is true, then we shall hold here and wait for your return," Ra'Veath told Diana as she watched the movement of the water. The sunlight reflected to her face, sprawling fingers of light across her steady featjres. This was it; she could feel it. The nerves pricked at that back of her neck. Her javelin was in its place, her heart and body were strong, and she was ready. Eric had laid this opportunity out on a plate for her; she could not hesitate.
Without replying, Diana stepped to the edge of the pool, moved her arms like wings to a steeple above her head, and dove promptly, crisply, into the cool water.
This is heaven. The water even felt clean, washing at the grime and sweat that was another layer skin on Diana. Even being steeped in the weird muffled silence gave Diana a sense of purity. Wholly at peace, the Acrobat continued her descent into the heart of the pool.
Keep kicking, keep angled. Now her muscles strained against the water pressure. Now her lungs were aching, but she still had not reached the bottom. Now it would not be long until she would need air. Where is it? Where's the veil? A small, bright sparkling caught her attention.
What the…? A strange light reached up for her, causing her to do what she didn't want. She hesitated.
Did…I…get turned around?
Diana was sure she'd been going downwards, but a terrifying moment of disorientation slammed her. Vividly and surprisingly, she remembered Eric softly touching her jaw, his steady forwardness that had carried her this far. It occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same about her as she did him. I want to find out what he's hiding. At the same instance, she didn't want to know. Can't think about him now. Have to keep going.
There was nothing to do but go towards the light. A voice twittered at the dreadful irony of the statement. Perhaps she was dying? Heh. Figures. I fight through Orc, Lizardmen, and all sorts of evil nasties and am done in by some stupid pool…
The giddiness was drastically reduced when she shattered the surface of the water.
"Ah!" she gasped, realizing with relief that she had been swimming in the right direction after all.
The pool was no longer surrounded by the Autumn Forest or fuzzles or Elgatos, but by a green and aqua chamber. Steps in front of her led up to a pedestal, which was guarded over by a statue that loosely resembled the Virgin Mary. Light was inset around the edges of the pool, and Diana had no doubt that there was magic at work. In fact, her attuned ears picked up a gently humming, sort of like white noise.
"Well, I'll be," she said, just to say something. Her feet didn't need to be told twice to be cautious, her hands released her javelin without thought, and her body tensed, expecting something startling to happen.
Nothing did, to her great chagrin. The pedestal was covered with a clear glass much like an antique clock her mother cherished. She could clearly see the veil, folded neatly on the stone tile. Her awe had her reaching out, but the glass stopped her fingers, causing them to pile and crunch like a car wreck. It was right there. So close! But for all her pounding, hitting, and shifting, the glass would not budge or break.
"The veil is protected from evil hands," a soft voice said, stopping Diana in mid-punch. I really should be more surprised, she considered flatly, as her eyes lifted to the protective statue she'd noticed upon arrival. It had animated, and the stone grey had faded to reveal a human-looking woman wearing draping cloth. The statue really did look like the Virgin Mary.
"But I'm not evil," Diana told the statue, and a dark premonition clouded her mind. That would be perfect, she thought, lifting her hands from the glass, just perfect. What other obstacles must I go through? Somewhere in the back of her mind, maybe because the statue resembled the Virgin Mary, she remembered that one Bible lesson explaining that the right road is often the most difficult and rocky.
"That may be true," the statue replied, the feminine voice soothing, "but there are certain requirements that need to be filled."
Hm-hm. There's always a catch… "I see. What requirements?"
"First, in the seeker there must be bravery. You, Child of the Stargazer, have it in quantity. Second, in the seeker there must be kindness. I have watched your kindness and your heart accomplish admirable feats. Third, in the seeker there must be great sacrifice. You have sacrificed plenty in the past, but more must be needed." Here the statue paused, and the glass covering the veil spread with light, dimmed, and caused Diana to back off with a gasp.
"Fourth, the seeker must choose one whom they love to return and stand with them to activate the powers of the veil. This one will fulfill both the third and fourth requirements, should you choose to continue in your endeavor."
The light, when it had faded away, had turned the glass into a reflective material. Shown there, bound, gagged, stripped of shield (yet again), was Eric.
A/N: Another chapter comes to a close. In my personal opinion, I didn't like this chapter and the last because Eric and Diana were separated. On the other hand, I like having these characters go off and do things on their own, but things are more exciting when everyone is together. Anyway, let me know how I'm doing. Hate it, love it, but please review it! Thanks!