Lost and Found

Avon De'clan was a silent passenger for the gillman's copter. The pilot didn't seem to mind, he was being paid handsomely so he would happily spend the whole of the day either chauffeuring Skylanders or their allies around. It was growing late in the day by that point, the sky had begun to change colors just barely with the promise of sunset.
"This island," Avon said as he pointed out his side of the copter. Without any other passengers he had taken the co-pilot's seat. Avon didn't have the faintest idea how to pilot the thing but the experience was a story to tell nonetheless. One thing he could do without was the headset he wore. The technology to fly the copter wasn't widely understood by anyone other than the arkeyans and if the pilot needed to wear the headset and couldn't hear anyone that wasn't also wearing a headset then Avon had no choice but to wear the heavy and clunky item.
"I thought you said you couldn't read the dials," the gillman pilot smirked at Avon.
"I cannot. But this is the island that matches the description I was given."
"Light you have a scary accurate sense of direction," the pilot murmured as he turned dials and flipped switches for the descent.
Avon had to chuckle, "My brother Carwyn is far better at it than me. He could taste the dirt off a boot and tell you where the wearer had tread." The gillman gave Avon and incredulous stare. Avon's laughter grew in intensity. "I am just joshing you," he said with a grin. "Carwyn is more skilled but not that skilled."
"I was about to say," the pilot muttered.

Avon had asked the pilot to join him as he walked towards the meeting spot. He would be waiting for a little while it seemed, while there were people in the area Seraphina had told him he would find Rafer and Teranika none of them matched their description.
"I have to say, that was the first time I've ever flown to Tour. I think I am going to stay at an inn tonight and explore it a bit more tomorrow." The gillman's walk was more of a waddle as he struggled to keep up with the longer legged elf.
"There is much to see, if you get the chance visit Uzern, Star Pointe and Haven," Avon suggested. "Hawk Ridge is our closest neighbor and easy enough to visit." Avon studied the people waiting near Seraphina's meeting bench. There was a Skylander among them, the sky baron Jet-Vac; or rather a Jet-Vacling. He too seemed to be looking for someone and seemed impatient about it. Avon gave him a nod when he and the gillman stopped in the area.
"So who we lookin' for?" the pilot asked.
"A Flameslinger-type and a Stealth Elfling," Avon replied. The Skylander suddenly seemed to be paying attention to them. Rather than ignore him Avon decided to address him. "Pardon me; I noticed your reaction to our conversation. Have you seen the two?"
The sky baron clicked his beak and studied the two travelers. "I don't know you, wasn't expecting you. One of them was named Rafer, you give me the other's name and someone they normally meet and maybe we'll have a conversation."
"Teranika is the Stealth Elf," Avon replied as his heart rate increased. He was suddenly ill of ease all because of how the Skylander was acting. "They were expecting Seraphina, a Hexling or her brother Anicetus the Ignitorling."

"I'm Conner," the sky baron said with a sigh as he visibly relaxed. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Sam has suddenly decided he has no desire to be a Portal Master. Earlier today he began to sell or otherwise rid himself of his Skylanders. There are so few of us left, we are doing what we can to inform our own contacts and those of the Skylanders he has already parted with what is happening." Conner swallowed hard at the sight of Avon standing stiff as a board with his nostrils flared. "Rafer and Teranika were separated and given to different persons. I am sorry; I don't know where they are or how to find them."
"Oh no, I am so sorry," the gillman pilot said with slumped shoulders. All he could think about was his nephew and how it would feel to lose him again after having found him.
"Thank you, Conner," Avon said in strained voice. "You should probably head on to other endeavors now that your message has been passed."
"I'm sorry," the sky baron said with downcast eyes. "I knew their loved ones would want to know. I'm sorry I had to even tell you in the first place." He swallowed hard, he could hear the change in the elf's breathing and it gave him a lump in his throat. "I'm going to leave now," he said softly as he turned around slowly. His feet felt heavy as he walked away, light he felt terrible for delivering the news and leaving just as soon.

Avon took a moment to stare after the departing Skylander with his right hand on the back of his neck and his left balled into a fist. How could their Portal Master do that? Amara and Morwen had returned with stories of how he had told Rafer and Seraphina that it was possible to get them both in the care of the same Portal Master. How could he so easily pass them off?
"I will get you back to Meir Valan to pass on your news as quickly as possible," the pilot said softly after letting Avon have a moment.
"Yes," Avon said as he finally tore his eyes off the sky baron. "They will need to know. Need to know the search begins again." Avon's voice cracked, that was his nephew and niece-in-law he was talking about. "We should go," Avon announced as he turned and briskly began to walk back to the arkeyan copter.
The gillman cast one last sad look in the Skylander's direction before he turned to trot after the elven captain. Once back in his copter he was going to get on the com-link and inform others of what he had just learned. Eyes and ears across Skylands would hopefully learn something useful.

Wrapped in a towel and fresh from a bath Seraphina stared at her wardrobe, she had so few items tailored to fit her hopefully temporary Hexling self. One garment for each function she might attend to while in Meir Valan. Her closet contained one riding dress, one formal dress, one every-day dress, one formal priest robe and one nightgown. It would of course be the formal dress she wore to dinner. It was a pale satin-like lavender color. She loved purple in darker shades but normally dressed in bright shades as her mother had insisted that dark shades were for one of two things; older women or those in mourning. As Seraphina was neither of those things she didn't own a single dark colored garment. The princess sighed heavily and took the formal dress out. Hex was slightly taller than her with less accentuated curves so the dresses had to be tightened in some areas and elongated in others. Not that Seraphina much minded them being a little short. Most of her dresses touched the floor before the change, to have them now just barely off the floor was welcome. Seraphina grunted as she looked down at her bare, wiggling toes. Her feet didn't even touch the ground anymore unless she was sitting. Why was she worried?

The familiar feel of magic made Seraphina yelp as she dropped the dress she had just taken from the wardrobe. Clad only in a plush towel she clutched the fabric tightly to her chest as her nostrils flared and her eyes widened at the sudden and unwelcome appearance of someone else in her bedchamber.
"Oh holy fish sticks!" the Trigger Happyling exclaimed as he snapped his hands up over his eyes and his ears quivered. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he squeaked before turning his back to find a door he ran out then slammed behind him. "Sorry!" his muffled voice said through the door.
"Coriander!" Seraphina squealed, "What in the name of the Core of Light are you doing in my bedchamber?"
"Sean sent me," he replied rapidly through the closed door. "I'm sorry!" Coriander sighed and there was a thump, presumably from him leaning on the door. "Sean sent me to bring you to him. He has a surprise for you, Seraphina. He found Eloryn and has set up a meeting!"

The door opened quickly, Coriander's eyes widened before he turned his back quickly on the Hexling still dressed only in a towel. "Stop doing that!" he hissed. Honestly she had no right to get mad at him if she was going to keep popping up like that.
"Where, where did he find Eloryn?"
The urgency in her voice was something the gremlin had never heard. "Just get dressed," Coriander replied. His ears were still quivering, at this rate he felt they would never stop.

The Hexling was quickly fully dressed in her pale lavender gown and had donned a circlet made of gold with amethyst crystals set into it. The speed at which she was hovering through the halls of the palace made poor Coriander run to keep up with the taller Skylander. He knew he didn't have to tell her to hurry, he simply needed to wait for her to inform her parents of what she had learned then they could have Sean open another portal.
Seraphina gasped when she nearly slammed into Crevan. The Fizzling was well groomed and if not for the fact his fur was longer than Meilyr's she would have thought him the other. "Forgive me!" the Hexling apologized with a hand over her heart.
"No harm done," the gremlin smiled back before he looked past her. "Who is your friend?"
"Coriander," the smaller Trigger Happyling waved. "We have the same Portal Master, he sent me here."
"My sister has been found," Seraphina exclaimed as she took Crevan by the hands and nearly danced with him. "I am on my way to find my parents. Will you tell Anicetus for me?"

"Tell me what?" the Ignitorling asked as he emerged from another hall. "We have more guests?" he asked upon seeing the smaller orange gremlin.
"Ani!" Seraphina exclaimed as she let go of Crevan and threw her arms around her brother. "Sean found Eloryn! I am going to meet her now."
"I am going too," he said quickly as his flames grew in intensity. The Ignitorling released Seraphina and looked between her and the orange gremlin. "Where is she, I will hail Issac to open a portal."
"You should be able to use the same portal," Crevan said.
"I didn't think it worked that way," Coriander said slowly.
"A portal is a portal," Crevan explained. "It does not matter who opens it, so long as you have a Portal Master anyone can use the portal created."
"I am going to start involving Sean more in my travels," Seraphina sighed. "A portal here and there will save so much time."

"Do mother and father know?"
Seraphina shook her head, "I was on my way to tell them."
"Please, allow me," Crevan said with a bow. "Go now; there is no telling how much time your sister has. You can inform your parents of everything once you return."
"Thank you," Seraphina smiled before latching onto the Fizzling with an intense hug. He looked surprised by it and simply stood there blinking. "Come on," she grinned at her brother before taking him by the hand. "Sean," Seraphina said aloud, "I am ready and my brother is coming with me." The mechanics of how it worked weren't completely understood but so long as it worked no one really cared. A swirling, glowing vortex opened up on the floor in front of Seraphina. Coriander bowed and motioned to it as an indication she should go first. Seraphina hauled Anicetus along behind her and was gone in an instant.
"Nice meeting you…" Coriander prompted for a name.
"Crevan," the Fizzling smiled. "Thank you for your news. It was a pleasure," he offered a short bow before the Happyling stepped through the portal. A moment later and the extra light in the hall was gone leaving Crevan by himself. The Fizzling inhaled deeply and let his breath out slowly, maybe he should have at least asked for directions to another part of the palace.

"Over here!" the miniscule gremlin called with a grin and wave before he ran down the garden path they had arrived on.
"Where are we?" Anicetus asked. He wasn't sure what to expect but the garden clearly wasn't it. Well-manicured lawns, expertly tended flower beds and precise angles on the hedges made Anicetus think of his mother's garden back on Meir Valan. This place was much farther west however, they still had an hour of sunlight left whereas the day had nearly vanished back home.
"I do not know, only that our sister is in that direction," the Hexling pointed after Coriander. She followed him briskly with Anicetus close behind. Now that she thought about it the garden they were in the middle of was rather large. In fact it seemed the whole of the island was a garden save for the building down the path. "If this is an island belonging to a Portal Master he or she puts a lot of effort into landscaping." There wasn't any room left for anything else among the winding paths, benches and walls of hedges separating seating areas.

Coriander had stopped and was staring back at the royal siblings, his tall orange ears stood up straight as he tried to calm himself and keep from bouncing. The little gremlin had been one of Sean's first Skylanders along with Bard the Gill Gruntling and Rork the Spyroling. They had been packaged together as a 'starter pack' for new Portal Masters. The three of them were among some of the most numerous copies floating around. How it was that those three Skylanders had so many copies was unknown just like so much else surrounding the whole ordeal. Tree Rex, Cynder and Jet-Vac also found themselves with numerous copies for the same reason. Sean had one each himself; Sean had collected nearly every type of Skylander out there but didn't currently possess them all. He would often send his Skylanders to another Portal Master to help reunite families. And that was what the whole trip was about, Coriander grinned to himself. Sean was going to make a purchase soon if he hadn't already and couldn't wait to reunite the sisters. Coriander was pleased to see Seraphina's brother traveling with her even though they had different Portal Masters. The Fizzling he had seen was unknown to him, if the Happyling had known he was from yet another Portal Master he would have been impressed. "Sean's just inside," Coriander said once the siblings had finally reached him.
"And Eloryn?" Anicetus anxiously asked.
"I haven't met her yet," he shook his head. "She's not in Skylands just yet. Her Portal Master is awaiting Seraphina's arrival before he summons her. It's sort of to make sure Sean's not trying to scam him."
"Of all the," Anicetus sighed and shook his head rather than finish his thought. He had heard stories of callous Portal Masters out to build their collection and or profit. Anicetus was right behind Seraphina when she approached the door and opened it.
"I'm good here," Coriander raised a hand when the princess looked back to him. "Sean sent me to bring you back. This is your adventure from here on out." As he spoke a portal opened behind him and the Trigger Happyling stepped into it. "See you soon!" he waved before he vanished.

The lair Seraphina floated into had a very cozy entrance. She didn't even notice when Anicetus gently moved her to the side so he could enter. It looked like she had walked into someone's living room rather than a common room for Skylanders. There were chairs flanking tables full of books or collected curios and even two long couches with a coffee table sitting before them. A few bookshelves lined the walls, their shelves dotted with books and other curios. Sitting across from one another in two of the plush chairs was Sean and another holographic Portal Master of a portly build with insanely bushy eyebrows and moustache. Both rose with the entrance of the Skylanders.
"Princess Seraphina," the unnamed human said with a nod to her, "And Prince Anicetus. Eloryn will be double surprised to find her brother awaiting her as well."
"This is Stephen," Sean said with an outstretched hand to his fellow Portal Master. "Stephen is one of several Masters that maintain this island. Their Skylanders are ever rotating. Stephen is part of an organization seeking to reunite Skylanders with loved ones via accepting disowned individuals."

"Disowned?" Seraphina said in shock, "How can people simply give up a Skylander? We are not possessions but living beings! They would not treat their children any differently, nor their pets."
Stephen held his hands up to calm her, "You must understand something; most of the Skylanders we get come from Portal Masters who are unable to fulfill their duties and do not wish for their Skylanders to become collectors of dust on shelves in their residence. Sometimes they are rescues, such as your sister. We have many Skylanders here donated by people who aren't Portal Masters themselves but happened to come across one of the poor lost souls. We make the database searchable with certain names findable if you meet requirements." Stephen waved suddenly, "Never mind the technical aspects. Give me a moment to focus my attention back on Earth and I'll bring Eloryn in." No sooner had the round Master spoken did he seemingly vanish when his holographic image blinked out.

Stephen blinked a few times, he always felt groggy when returning from Skylands. The heavy-set man stretched as he stood and walked to the nearby table where a lone Flashwingling figurine was sitting.
"Well?" she asked once he was in front of her. Eloryn couldn't do a thing when his meaty hand picked her up and moved her towards the portal.
"See for yourself," Stephen grinned before he returned to his chair and prepared to send his consciousness back to Skylands.

Eloryn's heart was racing as the flash of light overtook her and the rush of travel swept her away. Eloryn's knees instinctively bent when the sensation of floating was replaced by the solid feel of ground below her paws.
"Elo?" a familiar voice called.
"Sera!" the newly arrived Flashwingling cried. Her white dragon scales picked up the color of her amethyst crystal accents to give her milky hide a soft purple color. "I am hideous!" the Skylander wailed. "Look at me!" She shook her crystal wings and sat on her haunches before raising her front paws. "Look at you!" Eloryn gasped, "You are a corpse!"
Seraphina kneeled down and threw her arms around her sister in an effort to comfort her. "We are still who we have always been," the eldest princess said. She didn't care that Eloryn was now a dragon; all she cared about was having her sister at last.
Eloryn squirmed either from disgust of what her sister was or simply because she didn't feel like an embrace, "It has been horrible," the Flashwingling sniffed as tears began to flow. She looked away from her sister to the Portal Masters then the Ignitorling standing silently nearby. "Who are you?" Eloryn asked in a voice that cracked.

"Anicetus," he replied softly.
"Oh Ani!" Eloryn wailed. "What happened to us?" She pulled away from Seraphina and stretched out a front paw to touch her brother's armor. It was hot like she expected but it didn't scorch her thick scales. Eloryn turned sad eyes back to her sister. "Is this us? Is this how we are going to be forever? A reanimated body, a non-corporeal spirit in a metal shell and a scaly lizard?" Her amethyst tipped tail quivered as she held it close to her rear in a way similar to a scared dog's reaction.
Seraphina rose slowly to her feet. "For now this is us." She looked back to Sean and Stephen, "Thank you; both of you." The two nodded their reply.
"Everything appears to be in order, Sean," Stephen said as he motioned for the other Master to follow him out to the garden. "I will get her ready to ship in the morning and you should have her by the next day," the heavy man said before vanishing into the dusk.

Sean watched Stephen attempt and fail to pull the door closed behind him. "She is torn up," Sean said. He hadn't met any Skylanders as repulsed by their new forms the way Eloryn was. Even the ones unfortunate enough to become undead had taken it stoically, they saw hope.
"Eloryn was brought to us by a teacher that had heard her sobbing from the lost and found bin in the school office," Stephen explained. "Did you know that if a Portal Master alters the Skylander the changes become part of their default look in Skylands?" Sean shook his head slowly. "Eloryn had been colored with black and red marker; rather poorly as children are known to do. When she came to us she was a mess and ashamed of how she looked. Careful cleaning removed the marker and restored her to normal. We had to give her a fresh coat of paint when some of the marker refused to come out of the grooves between her scales. She still considered herself ugly even after we restored her colors. It is strange when you consider the special edition Skylanders not having different looks in Skylands. We have other Skylanders that are similarly upset about who they mirror now. There are a few who really do have reason to be upset, that is another story however."

"I'm not worried about her attitude; I am hopeful that having her around friends and family will help."
Stephen nodded and looked back to the door. "We'll give the siblings time to talk then I'll return to get her ready for travel. The sooner she has a connection with one of her siblings the better. She has been very vocal in the warehouse you should know. Eloryn is a complainer and starved for attention."
"She will be in Skylands full time once her figure arrives," Sean promised. "Seraphina and their brother just came from home and family. She will find what she needs, everything except maybe a cure for what she no doubt sees as a disease."
"You'll still have your work cut out for you. Eloryn can be rather demanding; all she ever did when given chance to exercise here on the island was insist we open a portal for back home. Having no sense of direction or ever having a Skylander in that region we were unable to."
"She has her siblings. I'm not worried."

Eloryn had climbed up on a sofa and sat there brooding with hunched shoulders. She had stopped talking to her siblings even though they sat to either side of her. Anicetus kept checking the couch to make sure he wasn't going to set it ablaze and Seraphina was silent with her hands folded in her lap.
"Who else have you found?" Eloryn asked at last.
"Rafer and Teranika," Anicetus responded. "They are a Flameslingerling and Stealth Elfling respectfully."
"They are also married," Seraphina added after she cleared her throat. "We found Meilyr as well, he is a Pop Fizzling. Kaelin and Galvin we know of but have not yet met up with. Kaelin is with Stampede, the two are a Fright Riderling. Galvin has become a Sunburnling."
Eloryn's head popped up at the mention of Galvin. "A Sunburnling?" Her mind could only think of how he shared her misfortune of becoming nothing more than an animal. There was an instant camaraderie with the Skylander she hadn't yet greeted. "And a Fizzling," she murmured in reply to Meilyr's state. Teranika and Rafer were the luckiest of them all. "Niall?" her head swiveled back towards her sister.
"Missing," she sighed. "We have found nothing to indicate what he is or where he may be."
"He was not an initiated Skylander," Anicetus mused, "Will we even find him? The spell Kaos employed hit us and his forces at the same time but only Skylanders were affected. Niall could have…"
"Do not say it!" Seraphina hissed with wide eyes. She knew what he meant, if Niall wasn't banished and had been missing for two years then that meant he had perished on the battlefield. Anicetus held his hands up apologetically and ducked his head into his shoulders in difference.

"I am tired," Eloryn said at last. She hopped off the sofa and made her way towards the door. The Flashwingling reared up on her hind legs and grasped the door knob between her paws to open. The two Masters outside turned at once to see who it was. "I want to go," she said plainly to Stephen.
"Very well," the portly human nodded. "It was a pleasure speaking to you, Sean. I will keep you in mind when it comes to fostering Skylanders in the future. Speak more with Linda; she's the one setting up the foster program."
Sean extended his hand to shake then laughed when he remembered the two of them were holograms. Stephen chuckled and extended his hand anyway, it was the motion that counted. "Thank you, I know your organization means so much to the Skylanders."

Seraphina was halfway between the door and the sofa before she simply stopped moving. Eloryn had her back to her and Anicetus and seemed content to remain that way. The Hexling watched the Flashwingling's tail sway while her wings twitched. This wasn't the Eloryn Seraphina remembered; the only time her sister refused to talk to her was after they had fought. No harsh words were exchanged, what had happened?
"It is alright," Anicetus whispered softly to Seraphina. He tilted his head to the side to draw Seraphina back further into the room before he continued. "Remember how I reacted when we spent time together taking out the dragonet nest?" He was embarrassed to bring it up judging by how his flames turned a pale pink color. "I think Eloryn is going through the same thing."
Seraphina had opened her mouth to say Rafer and Teranika hadn't but decided against it. "I suppose you are right. Light, Ani," Seraphina sighed and ran both hands over her face before keeping them over her heart. "This is not how I pictured the reunion." Seraphina turned around when she felt a ripple of magic, Eloryn and Stephen were gone. "What do we tell mother and father?" Finally she removed her hands from her heart.
"That she is well and a Flashwingling. That is all there is to tell them."
Seraphina gave her brother a knowing smirk, "Mother will expect more. We will do what we can."
Sean remained out in the garden for a while longer until the two Skylanders emerged. "Let me get you back home," he said. "The way you are dressed tells me you were getting ready for something that I most likely made you late for."
"It is alright," the princess said with the shake of her head. "Thank you for finding Eloryn. It means a lot to us and my parents."

Hex wore a sour expression on her face when she entered for dinner. She was already aware of the fact Seraphina and Anicetus had left. The way she saw it though was they had abandoned her to deal with all the nobility gathered in the dining hall. And what a crowd it was the king and queen at one end of the table with Commander Roghallach and the ranger Carwyn on the other side of seats presumably reserved for the royal children. Also present were Amara, Morwen and Aelwen the ladies in waiting for both princesses. Meilyr and Crevan as well as Cynder and Windy had already been seated. There was a new face as well that obviously didn't know smiling to Hex as she sat down by herself wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"I am sorry I was not here sooner," the new elf with metallic ecru skin and reddish-brown hair said. "I hope Anicetus will return soon. I am anxious to see the lad again." Lan Taggart was Anicetus's groom-in-waiting. To be a groom or lady for the royal family the elf granted the position had to be of noble blood. It was someone close to the family but not necessarily in line for the throne. Lan's parents were just that, country nobles who only owned the land they lived on. Lan had been Anicetus's teacher in the art of swordsmanship; so too had Meilyr trained with him when he was assigned to be a royal guard at a young age. Seraphina's guard Rafer would practice with him but learned his skill with the blade from his adoptive father Carwyn.
"Thank you for having us," Cynder said from where she was perched on a stool beside Lan. The Whirlwindling kept staring at her, hardly believing her eyes at the luck of traveling with yet another Core. Cynder saw the royal family differently than Hex, she liked how polite they were and accommodating. Cynder felt comfortable around them and didn't question their acceptance of her or the other undead.
"It is not often that we are honored with the presence of Core Skylanders," the king said with a nod of his head.

Delyth said a quick thank you to the servant dressed in palace livery as he poured her a goblet of wine. "I hope the city has been welcoming for you?"
Cynder nodded about the same time Windy did so vigorously and Hex merely folded her arms across her chest. "Your people are unafraid of my status as an undead creature. I am grateful for this."
Delyth closed her eyes and sighed, "Undead are not a common sight around here. But you are a Skylander and the faith these people have in you allows them to ignore that aspect. It is not so for anyone else that does not bear that title." The queen offered her a small smile in hopes the truth wouldn't offend.
Cynder shrugged, she didn't care why they respected her. Just that they did and that it wasn't out of fear. Hex's expression however said she wasn't pleased with the admission. "Thank you," Cynder said to the servant when he reached her. As with Windy, Cynder drank out of a bowl. While they could manipulate items with their dragon claws their dexterity wasn't as good as those that bore hands and fingers. Just because Cynder and Windy were going to be served in a manner similar to a pet didn't make them bitter or any less capable of utilizing table manners. They sat at the table with the elves and were served the same way, only their presentation was different.

"Lady Hex was simply brimming with questions when I accompanied her on her walk this afternoon," Roghallach said from his position near the king and next to the seat reserved for Anicetus.
"I stopped asking questions when he began to ask me about Skylander duties. You can ask your princess or her servants for that," Hex said flatly. Meilyr and Crevan wore nearly identical looks of surprise complete with quivering ears, to take that tone with the commander and in front of the king and queen was a gutsy move.
"I will answer questions myself if you wish," Cynder covered for the other Core. She shot Hex a quick glare, how dare the elven sorceress do anything that might also affect her standing with Grandmaster Eon.
"In due time," Queen Delyth said with a hand on the king's arm when he opened his mouth to speak. He closed it just as quickly with a grimace that turned into thinly pressed lips. "For now join us as we celebrate the reunions thus far of our wayward children and their companions." Delyth put her hands in her lap as the servants began to carry in platters of food, both colorful and fragrant from fruits and steamed vegetables to succulent meats and fresh baked bread. The servers fluttered around the long table and ducked between seated individuals easily to deposit their trays and slide back out to vanish through the serving door.

Windy's mouth was watering at the amount of food before her. She sat next to Lady Morwen and the dark haired elf was offering to help her fill her plate. "I will try everything then go back to what I want," the Whirlwindling replied in awe. It was going to be awesome.
"Meat only, thank you," Cynder answered Lan's question on what to help her with. She liked socializing over food, if she could restore some of her energy through food that meant she didn't need to sleep as much. Hex didn't see it that way however and Cynder saw no reason to enlighten her about it. "You are a caretaker for the prince?" she asked Lan.
"I asked for the responsibility when he was a newborn. I have tended to him since and seen him as well as his sisters grow. I had half a mind to join them when they became Skylanders but decided it was time to let the prince set his own path. I will not remain in his service much longer; once he is ready he may dismiss me."
"Yet he has not done so," King Hayden said. "As much as he fights with you he is comforted by your presence."
Lan laughed, "I find this hard to believe at times."
"Eloryn would not dare dismiss me before she is married. She will not be able to do a thing for herself otherwise!" Aelwen said with a sniff as she set a platter of steamed carrots back down. "Spoiled rotten she is. I honestly do not see how she was able to become a Skylander." Aelwen would be pretty if she didn't always seem to be scowling or brooding.

Hex snorted as she rolled her knife over on the table cloth just to see the silver glint in the light. "Do you have something you wish to say?" Amara asked in a hard tone. She had one hand wrapped around her napkin with knuckles gone white.
"No," the Core said simply. She had learned to respect Seraphina somewhat but still saw her as the wrong type of individual to be a Skylander. She knew better than to voice such a thing around Seraphina's family. If Aelwen was calling Eloryn spoiled when Hex already saw Seraphina as such she really wanted nothing to do with the younger princess.
Hayden cleared his throat and glanced to Delyth, she gave the barest nod of her head. The other Skylanders present had tensed up as well and if the king said anything hard words might ignite an oral debate he did not wish to get into. "Hopefully Anicetus and Seraphina will return soon with news of Eloryn."

"Is that timing or what?" Meilyr said with a grin as the dining room doors opened and the two appeared.
"Eloryn is a Flashwingling," Anicetus said before anyone could so much as greet them.
"Sean has made an effort to acquire her. She should be with us in two days," Seraphina added.
The king was on his feet in an instant and both Commander Roghallach and Carwyn who had been silent until then rose as well. "She is well? No deformities from Portal Master neglect?" the king said so fast his words nearly ran together.
"She is whole," Anicetus said after placing a hand on his sister's arm. "She is distraught over events however."
"Oh my poor baby," Delyth said with her hands over her mouth. "She must be so frightened without familiar faces." The queen had to try incredibly hard to ignore the rude toss of Hex's head and snort she gave. Delyth reached out for Hayden when the king leaned over the table towards the distant Hex.

"You will have to forgive me, Core," Hayden said firmly, "But the hostility I sense from you towards my kingdom, my rule and most importantly my children is going to make you a very unwelcome presence in this dining hall."
Cynder was on her feet in a moment and behind Hex. "We have overstayed our welcome," she whispered fiercely to her fellow Core.
"You are welcome to stay, Lady Cynder," Hayden said with a raised hand. "As is Lady Hex for the moment. I am simply stating how I am taking offence at her attitude. We have invited you into our home and to our board. I would hate for things to sour between Meir Valan and the Skylanders."
Hex's nostrils flared as she stood up and leaned on the table herself. "You are royalty, what could you possibly know of the struggle Skylanders go through?" It wasn't until the words had left her mouth did she understand what she had said. Hex's expression melted into surprise suddenly as she looked towards Seraphina and Anicetus, the two still standing in the doorway. "I am sorry; I didn't mean it to be that way. You are royalty; you have everything handed to you. The rest of us had to prove our worth to join."

"Am I not worthy?" Seraphina snapped. Never had she taken such a harsh tone before and it surprised most of the room. "Did we not fight the same enemy on Fetter Foothold? Did you not accompany me while I healed the wounded? Where you not there when lives were saved, non-Skylanders who would not have the safety net of simply returning to Earth to heal? Have you been so blind to everything I have done or deaf to all I have told you? Have I not bled alongside other Skylanders?"
"You come from a life in which everything was handed to you!" Hex replied with a wave of her hand to the room. "How can you look at the world if not down on it from your lofty perch?"
"Leave this place, Hex," Seraphina said. "I will approach Grandmaster Eon myself and inform him of the insult you have laid upon my family and kingdom."

Cynder moved her head in front of Hex and pushed her away from the table. "Light, Hex! What in the world do you think you are doing?"
Hex pushed back against the dragon's nudging. "I never asked to follow you around like a pet. I came here because Eon asked me to, in order to understand you better. And I do, you simply wanted to flaunt what you have. You wanted to lord it over me the whole time. Congratulations, you accomplished your goal. You use your title well; just as I would expect from a spoiled and useless noble." The king stared at Hex with his jaw clenched and the queen had balled her hand into a fist over her heart and taken the front of her gown with it.
"Leave!" Seraphina hissed as she began to tremble with rage. Anicetus held her back, his flames an angry red to indicate his own mood.
Roghallach moved swiftly towards the Core when she raised an accusing finger and cut her off before she could speak. "You have been asked twice now to remove yourself. Please do so before I am forced to escort you out."
Cynder pushed harder on Hex and turned apologetic eyes first to Roghallach. The elf was focused on Hex and didn't see her so she turned back to Seraphina after flashing over a distraught looking Windy. "I'm so sorry, Princess," Cynder said.
Seraphina closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before she rubbed at her temples. She had tried so hard to get along with Hex, she really did want the Core to see her as an equal and not the superior she had. "Cynder, I apologize for making you uncomfortable. I will tell Eon how you tried to mediate the situation." She knew the other Core wasn't going to stay around much longer herself.

Hex made a disgruntled sound before her form distorted and she simply vanished. Cynder made eye contact with everyone in the room. Once she was satisfied most of them held nothing against her she called out to her Portal Master and stepped into the portal that opened in a corner of the dining hall.
Once the light from the portal had faded an eerie silence settled on the room. "I am not hungry," Seraphina said softly thereby causing the silence to break. Without any other explanation or glance to another individual she turned to leave.
Anicetus watched her go then turned back around in time to see his father sit down heavily as Roghallach returned to stand behind his own chair with a scowl. "I am sorry," the Ignitorling said at last to Crevan and Windy. "This is not how I wanted you to remember Meir Valan."
Windy looked down at her plate and the little pastry shaped like a rectangle with woven lines of dough crossing the top. "Then I will remember it for the wonderful sights I saw earlier today and the delicious dinner. Thank you King Hayden, Queen Delyth," she said with a small smile to her hosts. "I am sorry Hex was so rude."
Delyth inhaled deeply and smoothed her features before she smiled warmly at the Whirlwindling. "You need not apologize for her, dear. Thank you for joining us tonight."
Hayden had propped his elbows up on the table and continued to scowl at the seat Hex had occupied moments ago. "How in the name of the Core of Light did Seraphina become a copy of her?"
"Excuse me," Meilyr said quickly as he got up and raced out the door. Amara made a motion to stand herself but decided to sit back down with a frown instead.

Seraphina heard the sound of running feet behind her and while part of her wanted to take random turns to lose whoever it was she remained on course anyway.
"Seraphina, wait."
The princess stopped dead in her tracks, she was not expecting Meilyr to have followed her. She kept her back to him and only looked at the Fizzling when he came up beside her. She was angry enough to have evidence of tears in her eyes and made no effort to dry the rivulets they left on her cheeks.
Meilyr's large yellow eyes were full of sympathy as he spoke, "Forget about Hex, she has been nothing but jealous from the beginning. You still have your friends and family while she has turned her back on everyone."
"She turned her back on them or they turned their backs on her? What if we are stuck like this, Meilyr? What if there is no way to break the curse Kaos laid on us? What if after a while my mind begins to fade and become more like her? I do not want to turn on everyone that has ever cared for me. I do not want to become the dark soul Hex has made herself into." Seraphina paused for a moment and closed her eyes. "I want to be me again, I want to close my eyes and when I open them I see that dark haired elf that was always sneaking flowers into my books when he thought I was not looking." She opened them and looked right at Meilyr.
The gremlin gave a start; she remembered how he had flirted when they were children after all the years behind them. Meilyr didn't have a reply for her and could only watch her float on down the hall. He balled his fists up, he was going to get with Seraphina's Portal Master somehow and help him find Kaelin for her. Having her betrothed back would lighten her mood, she could forget all about the insults Hex had slung around and things would return to normal. As normal as possible at least considering all that had been turned upside down.

It took Meilyr a while to return to the dining hall. He was expecting it to have cleared out and wasn't surprised to find Windy had departed via calling on her Portal Master. Aelwen was down the hall walking slowly with her usual straight posture. Crevan stood outside the dining hall with his head down and barely acknowledged Meilyr as the other Fizzling walked by. Meilyr's mood brightened when he saw Avon had returned. But a sweep of the room revealed no sign of Rafer or Teranika and the solemn looks on the faces of those still within made the gremlin's heart sink.
"Meilyr," Anicetus said softly. The pale blue of his flames looked so out of place on the Ignitorling. "Teranika and Rafer are gone. Their Portal Master separated them and gave them away."
Meilyr's mouth went dry and he had to take a seat before his shaking knees gave out. They could be anywhere, maybe even in the hands of a collector that couldn't even use a portal. Morwen was sobbing softly; Amara held her cousin close as her own tears fell. Delyth was leaning against Hayden's chest, her eyes unblinking and her face expressionless. Meilyr's heart went out to her; she would have to inform her sister, Teranika's mother, of her daughter's disappearance. "Seraphina does not know," the gremlin said softly.
"I will tell her," Lan said as he stood. He hesitated before leaving, almost as if he wished someone else would offer to come.
"This is not how I wanted my first day home to end," Meilyr sighed.