Dierdra, daughter of Roisin and Conchobar, crowned princess and heir to the throne of Kells, heaved a delighted sigh as she threw open the windows of her chambers to let in the sunshine on such a glorious day. Thank the Gods that the rain had ended. She'd been so looking forward to the Ostara festival, her favorite time of the year, since the first snowflakes fell and rain would've just ruined the experience.

As she gazed outside at all of the stalls being uncovered and the banners being hung, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, even after so many years. No matter how much she loved this time of the year…it always reminded her of her mother. Kells was very much a land of war. Both men and women learned from birth that those without swords could still die by them. Even now, with the war with Temra, Deirdra herself had seen enough bloodshed to last…long enough. In such beautiful land ravaged by war…it made those beings of light all the more precious. Often, it seemed, what love her mother didn't give to Deirdra and her father, she gave to the people of Kells. Never did the hungry go without food. Never did strong backs go without work if they were willing. To a little girl, the woman was only her mother but as Deirdra had grown older, she grew to see that Queen Roisin…was the people's queen, pure and true.

That had made it all the harder when she'd fallen ill. Deirdra had been little more than seven at the time but she still remembered it clearly. It had been cold, far colder than Cathbad the Wizard could explain. Mother had by no means been the only one to take sick but when she had…it seemed like the entire kingdom stopped. The fever had taken her so quickly…and Cathbad had tried so hard, using every remedy he could think of. Deirdra had seen the great wizard weave many miracles, even at such a young age, but…the Gods hadn't chosen to grant one…and Deirdra had to watch her mother succumb…and…

Deirdra took a breath of the wet fresh air. No matter how Mother had gone, she'd be horrified if she saw her daughter mourning on a day such as this!

…knock…knock…

The knock at the door jarred her out of the daydream like a sword blow and uttered a quick "one moment" as she scrambled around her chambers in an attempt to find a robe. She'd finally spotted the infernal thing thrown across a chair. What had possessed her to leave it there? She draped it around her and darted to the door.

"Enter."

The door swung open and her father stood in the doorway, cool and composed as ever. Deirdra had to suppress a giggle. Father always went to such lengths to play the stoic king and warrior tasked with defending his people from outside attackers...and she certainly understood that often times it wasn't at all play acting. Her father was brave, loyal, and would gladly take up a sword to defend even the lowest of his subjects…but few knew what court fool laid beneath. Many was the time that she'd led him on a merry chase through the castle, hiding in corners and passages until Father would often drag her out by the ankles and descend on her in a fit of tickles.

"Blessed Ostara, Father," Deidra cried as she wrapped him up in a hug.

"Blessed Ostara, child," He replied, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I hope that I am the first to wish you so."

Deirdra let out a small laugh as she led them towards her bed. Deirdra planted herself on the straw cushion and Father took up a chair next to the bed…not really bothering to hide the fact that he had a hand behind his back. Not for the first time, Deirdra had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. As she'd just though, ever fool. Gift giving, in particular, had been one of Father's rather childish indulgences, always wanting to keep the gift a surprise until he absolutely couldn't anymore. It had been fun when she'd been a child but…well…maybe a SMALL part of her still thought it was fun. At any rate, it always made Father so happy.

"I wanted to be the first to give you your present," He smiled as he pulled a wrapped bundle from behind his back. "I had the dressmaker working in secret for days to prepare it in time."

"Oh Father…" She smiled and gave him another kiss while taking the package. With calm hands, Deirdra began untying the ribbon. The paper fell away to reveal…by Dagda…her breath caught. Inside was the most beautiful gown she'd ever laid eyes on, in an absolutely stunning shade of blue, her favorite color. She shook the gown out and ran over to the mirror. She had to see it in its full glory. Gazing into her reflection, she…loved it.

"I believe it's just waiting for this."

Deirdra turned as her father offered a finely worked leather belt. It took some doing but Deirdra managed to wrap the belt, studded with a polished stone in the center, around herself and turned back to the mirror…she couldn't believe it. Father was…she turned around and squeezing him as tightly as she could. He was too much!

"You know…you look so much like your mother," He replied. "Especially when you smile."

"Father…it…its lovely," Deirdra breathed as she returned to the bed and draped the gown over it. She turned and wrapped her arms around her father one last time.

"Anything for you, daughter," Father lifted her head by the chin and lightly kissed her forehead. "Now…the people are expecting to see their princess. She'd best take time to look her best before she leaves."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

…Nnnnnnggggghhhh…

She hurt. Whatever else Gracie Anne Possible knew, that was foremost in her mind. She felt like…like someone had pulled out her brain stem and started swinging the thing around, brain and all, only to stuff it back in! What the heck had happened? The last thing she'd known was…the twins getting sick on the camping trip that they'd taken…and…and Mom and Momma bringing them home. After that…argh…to make matters worse, Gracie's head was spinning like someone had planted it on top of a Spirograph. She…she had to open her eyes. That was as good a place to start as any. Her eyelids began to creep open…and bright beams of light stabbed her eyes, only making her head feel like it was spinning faster. Slowly but surely her vision began to adjust back to normal and…

…LIIIIIIIICCCCCKKKK…

Gracie jerked back as if she'd been struck by lightning! What the…who the…Gracie's eyes darted around and…and her pulse slowed as soon as she saw the culprit. Standing barely a foot away from her was a cow…that Gracie couldn't help but think looked a little like it was smiling.

Wait a minute…the last thing she remembered was being in the house and…Gracie blinked repeatedly, finally taking a good look at where she was. She was…not in the house to say the least. She was sitting in the middle of a field and now that she thought about it…her clothes were soaked to the skin, like she'd been sitting outside in the middle of a rainstorm; but Momma had checked the weather before they left Middleton and not a drop all week. Gracie tried to force herself up to her feet…and gave a nervous gulp. Not only was she outside…but the farmhouse was nowhere in sight.

"So," She turned to the cow. "You wouldn't have seen how I got here, did you?"

Okay…she had to think…what had happened? The…the twins had gotten sick on the camping trip and Mom and Momma had gone and brought them back to the house. Momma had shouted…and everyone ran up to the twins' room and…and…nothing…nada…nill…

Gracie took a deep breath. This was nothing she hadn't had to deal with before! She just needed to assess her situation and make a plan. First…she needed to determine where she was, what had happened to her. Second…she had to find some new clothes and fast! It FELT like she was still in Ireland and…while a Pennsylvania winter made her savoring the 48 degrees of an Irish spring she'd knew that if she had to spend the night, hypothermia was going to be major concern. Third…she had to find the others…or at least find help. What if the twins had gotten caught up in whatever brought Gracie here? What if…what if…Nicky…?

NO; she had to focus! She had to focus on the task at hand. She had to…

"MOOOOOOOOO"

Gracie turned towards the cow…and finally LOOKED at him…or her…whatever. The cow was wearing a lead rope! That meant that it had to have come from a farm nearby. Gracie looked around. All around her were green rolling hills and wide open skies that COULD still be County Wexford…or it could be virtually anywhere on the island…or even Scotland. The temperature felt the same…actually a little colder. She REALLY needed to get out of these wet duds.

"MOOOOOOOOO"

Gracie turned back towards the cow and it looked like it was motioning to the north…almost as if it wanted to be led in that direction. Well…north was as good a place to start as any.

She took up the lead rope and began walking. While she walked, her mind began to drift. How HAD she gotten here? Drakken? The Seniors? Duff Killigan? Any number of wackjobs could've done this…whatever "this" was…but why? She didn't think that it would likely be Drakken. The Big Blue Dork never actively went after anyone in the Possible family anymore. Gracie had heard the story MANY times of when she was 4 and had snuck aboard that stupid flying weather-changing lair that had been following them around while on vacation. Mom and Momma had jumped to the conclusion that Drakken had actually kidnapped her, prompting them to threaten to make life…well…rather unpleasant for him if he ever tried it again. Since then…no; it couldn't be him.

Gracie had gone down the list, one by one ruling them out. She'd just crossed off Monkey Fist when she reached a hilltop…and her breath caught in her throat! The ground descended down into a massive valley, strewn with boulders. There looked to be an expansive river at the far end. All around, towering trees dotted the landscape. It was one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen…

…but not nearly as beautiful as the wandering green haired child she spotted at the bottom of the hill. Thank goodness for Momma's genes. You could pick Em out of a crowd of thousands. Emily had gotten on her big sister's nerves like nearly every younger sibling since the beginning of time and Gracie liked to think she was fairly good at giving it right back, especially with her sister's naturally occurring green hair…the kid looked like some kind of extra from a leprechaun movie…but in that instant, that mop of green curls was enough to make Gracie cheer.

"EM," Gracie shouted out as she began running down the steep embankment, dodging around rocks and anything in her way. "OVER HERE!"

The younger Possible turned, spotted the charging older sister, and took off towards her. The pair dodged and darted, round a bend and Gracie scooped the younger Possible up into her arms without missing a beat, never so glad to see her kid sister in her life. Wrapping her up in her arms, Gracie's hands began checking her sister for any signs of injury. She…her clothes were just as soaked as hers. She HAD to find some dry clothes! She wasn't going to let Em…

"Gracie…" Emily squirmed. "Gracie…I'm fine! What…what's happening? Where are we?"

Gracie breathed a sigh of relief as, other than being soaked, Emily didn't have a scratch on her. You couldn't blame a big sister for worrying.

"Well…I don't quite know," Gracie admitted. "Something happened and…I don't know. I woke up about a mile up the hill…"

"MOOOOOOOO"

Gracie turned as apparently the cow had followed her down.

"I…uh…woke up with my friend here," She motioned. "Then I found you. Do you remember anything?" Em shook her head "no" but Gracie could see the nerves in her eyes. "Hey, hey; this is so not the drama, shorty," Gracie wrapped up her sister in a bear hug. "You're with your big sis. Tell you what. Someone's probably looking for our friend here. Why don't I give you a boost and you can ride him to the next village?" She turned and looked further down the valley. She could see a few structures off in the distance. "It looks like there's a village or town is down there. I bet that's where Momma and everyone are waiting for us."

Well…Gracie likely wouldn't have believed it either. At the very least, Emily remained composed enough to let Gracie help her up onto the cow. Once Gracie was confident that the kid wasn't about to slide off…that would be the icing on the cake, Emily getting hurt and Gracie having to use…anyway, that WASN'T going to happen. Gracie took the lead rope and tugged, prompting the cow to follow. Wherever they were…it really was beautiful but…something seemed…a little off. As the small party trapesed along the river, Gracie could shake the feeling…well…just…off was really the only way to describe it. It was like she could feel…she hadn't felt anything like it since...since she and Momma survived a plane crash in Canada…

She had more important things to think about right now! Gracie tried to shut off that line of thought and instead tuned in to the conversation that Emily seemed to be having with the cow. The twins, a lot like Gracie herself, seemed to have a knack with animals…which brought to mind George…and she had to focus on the job at hand! Emily had decreed that the cow's name was to be Miss Molly. Gracie had to suppress a grin as she heard Em snatch a handful of leaves from a passing tree and reach up to feed them to her new friend.

"So…where are we, Gracie?"

"Well…we're still in Ireland," Gracie mused, leading the cow…Molly…between a pair of trees. She heard a snap as Emily grabbed another branch. "It still FEELS like Ireland. Don't worry. We'll find out more when we get to town. Hey, maybe someone will give you a reward for bringing back their cow."

As the party began getting closer, Gracie could see that the structures she'd seen in the distance were actually one giant castle…well…giant for the day, at least…and she could see a bunch of other houses…of a sort. The "houses" actually looked like they were made out of dirt and every one of them had a thatch roof. The last time that Gracie had seen anything similar was last autumn when Mom and Momma had taken everyone to the medieval festival in Erie. Did County Wexford have a fair going on? That didn't seem like something Mom or Momma would've hid, especially from her. As she got in sight of the front gate, the fair theory sure seemed to pay out. Every archway seemed to be decked out with flowers and ribbons. Whatever was going on, the people here were certainly celebrating something…and those costumes were stitched perfectly!

Gracie approached a reenactor dressed as a guard.

"Excuse me; my sister and I are a little lost. Can you tell us where exactly we are?"

The reenactor gave her a…well…confused look and said…something stranger still. It SOUNDED like Irish but no dialect she could recognize. You couldn't be a decent Celtic singer and not be able to at least understand a few words of Irish and ever since Mom and Momma had gotten her the Rosetta Stone Irish program, Gracie's been dedicating herself to the beautiful lyrical language for years. What this man was speaking sounded like…

…Gracie's eyes narrowed! The man's look morphed from a look of confusion to one that was staring just a little too openly at the soaked clothes that Gracie was suddenly very aware of just how much were clinging to her skin. The pig was blatantly gawking at her!

"Thanks for nothing, jackass," Gracie muttered in disgust and pulled the cow past him and into the throng of people. Whatever wa going on, it did have all the feelings of a festival. Stalls and vendors dotted the town square, all of them hocking their wares…in a language that made Gracie stop dead in her tracks. It was some dialect she'd never heard…but any Celtic musician worth her salt could recognize Irish! Gracie had gone farther than most, actually making an effort to learn the language. If this really was some kind of fair, these people REALLY went in for authenticity.

"Gracie…what's going on? What are these people saying?"

"They're speaking Irish," Gracie replied as matter-of-factly as she could. "But I can't quite make it out."

Gracie flagged down a woman this time, delving into what Irish she could speak. The woman still looked at her like Gracie may as well have been strolling through town in her birthday suit but…at least she didn't feel the need to treat Gracie like a piece of meat. It involved a lot more hand gestures than actually speaking. Gracie could still only puzzle out maybe every fourth or fifth word but the woman could at least point her in the general direction of…draiogchtay almost sounded like…magic? Mystic? And ridiiracih…could be ridire, Irish for "knight."

Mystic Knights? Was that some kind of joke? Mom and Momma had taken the family to enough events like this to appreciate the realism but this was taking things a little too far. Couldn't these people see that she and Emily really needed help? Just point her in the direction of the closest police station and be done with it!

At any rate, Gracie thanked the woman for her help…or at least what she thought was a thank you…and pulled the cow in the proper direction.

Strangely enough, as Gracie continued to move through the square, doing her best to avoid or at least ignore the stares directed their way, "Mystic Knights" could be picked up everywhere. In fact, it greatly seemed like it was all anyone could talk about. At least that meant that if these mysterious "knights" really could help them, finding them wouldn't prove difficult.

Gracie quickly realized that the village had, in fact, only been a small part of what could indeed be considered a bustling town…with a very impressive castle nestled off in the distance.

"Wow," The younger Possible gasped.

"Yeah…wow."

Where the heck were they?

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Rowan gave himself a shake as he walked through the training yard. He generally found himself to be a pretty sound sleeper but last night…that dream still puzzled him. Ever since Cathbad had taken him in as a boy, Rowan's old mentor always stressed the importance and significance of the dreaming world. Rowan had learned from a young age to train himself to recount his dreams in detail, no matter how minor they had seemed at the time. One could only take Cathbad's lectures so long before the urge to slam one's head into the wall became too overwhelming. The man was like a father to him in many was…MANY ways but…

The images flashed back to him. There were three people…three women…or rather what looked to be two women and a child. He didn't know how he knew…though he rarely EVER knew how in a dream…that there was a connection between the three. While the two older women had most definitely reached womanhood, the younger still had the feel of youth, as if she was the older woman's daughter. BOTH of the women felt like they were the older woman's daughters. All three had been wreathed in a shimmering light, the oldest in a bright green, the older child in a golden yellow, and the youngest in a pure blue. Stranger still had been that they had seemed to be falling directly towards him. That last bit had been easy enough to interpret, even for an apprentice wizard such as he.

They would arrive very soon…though who are what they were…or why they were coming…still eluded him.

"HANDSOME ONE…LOOK OUT!"

…THUMP…

Rowan stumbled as the low-hanging beam smacked into his forehead. A brilliant display of checkers and stars flashed across his eyes as little Aideen fluttered down beside him. Rowan was too dazed to realize but Aideen quickly uttered a spell, cushioning and redirecting his fall onto a nearby bale of straw.

"Oh, Handsome One," The little fairy grumbled as she sunk down onto her enormous friend's shoulder. "You've got to be more careful! What if you'd damaged that glorious face?"

Rowan shook his head a few times to clear the checkers from his vision.

"Ah…thank you, Aideen. I'm sorry to say I didn't get much sleep last night. Dagda gifted me with a very strange and puzzling dream."

"A dream?" She gasped. "How exciting! What was it about?"

"I'm not entirely sure," He sighed as he began rubbing the already forming goose egg on his forehead. "All I can say is that someone is going to arrive very soon…and it is important that we find them."

"That IS mysterious," Aideen continued, rubbing her hands together. Rowan counted Little Aideen one of his truest friends. The little leaf-clad fairy was brave, loyal, and full of magic…but he couldn't help but smile at the youthful enthusiasm she exhibited, not unlike he and Angus in their youth. "Even more mysterious because of what King Finvara said; All the fae are gossiping. The King has been saying that he's felt an awakening of magic, the first in a thousand years."

"An awakening?"

"Oh yes! An awakening of a new magical spirit, a new creature; I wonder if the two could be related."

An awakening of a new magical power? That couldn't have been mere chance that he heard this after his dream…and rather fitting that it be on the Ostara. He'd have to journey to Tir Na Nog to converse with the King. Maybe…maybe those three that he saw…could they have been fairies; could they be the awakening that Finvara had felt? Stranger still than the feeling that they were falling directly towards him had been their appearene. The older two…at the time, Rowan couldn't have said that their green skin was anything other than a dream…as with the youngest girl's green hair…but if they were magic…

Rowan suddenly found himself with a dozen questions for the king of the Faeries.

There was a clatter of armor and Rowan turned toward the castle to see several soldiers snapping to attention as Princess Deirdra marched out into the courtyard, looking every inch the stoic and lofty noble princess. Thankfully, through the many months of war with Temra, Rowan could see clear through the mask and see the child eager to enjoy the festival. Had you looked at the pair even two years ago, you'd have never predicted that the noble princess and the lowly wizard's apprentice would've ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder, let alone become friends. Cernunnos's eyes, you'd have never predicted the wizard's apprentice would be the prophesied hero from legend either. Never let it be said, by Dagda, that the God's didn't have a sense of humor.

As Deirdra came closer, Rowan could see even clearer the makings of a dazzling smile on her face, just barely kept in check. Rowan got to his feet and offered a bow.

"Blessed Ostara, Princess."

"Please, Rowan," The princess rolled her eyes. "You'd have thought you could call me Deirdra by now! Now, unless I missed my guess, Angus should have at least lost his shirt to the game master by now. What say we find Ivar and watch him lose the rest?"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Gracie was about ready to break down and cry! What did it take to get some fucking help around here? She couldn't help but cringe inwardly at her language. Mom and Momma had always been so strict in that regard…but Gracie had certainly heard the two slip often enough when they didn't know she was in earshot…so they sure didn't have a right to judge…if she ever found them, that is; but none of the men she encountered within the last five minutes had done much to improve her view of the species. What kind of pig stared so openly in this day and age?

Gracie came to a stop at the gates of the castle. Whoever or whatever these "Magic Knights" or "Mystic Knights" were, everyone seemed to think that they were the only ones who could help and this was where they could apparently be found.

The people seemed to be flowing freely in and out so Gracie gave another tug on the rope and moved ahead. Someone, likely playing the character of a serving maid, pointed out across the grounds to a quickly visible trio. One looked to be dressed like a princess…and pretty realistically too; no tiaras or pink clothing. Everyone who passed by also seemed to give the woman a brief bow our curtsy. Everyone was really into their roles here.

The first man in the group really didn't LOOK that significant. Based on his appearance, Gracie could've pegged him as a low ranking officer in the "army" but all of the armed actors who passed by seemed to regard him with near as much respect as they did the princess. What really drew the eye, however, was the massive broadsword strapped to his back. Gracie couldn't make out the blade but the hilt was bright red with intricately worked gold all along the handle, ending at what looked like a giant dragon worked in gold. The thing looked like something out of Tolkien.

Gracie brushed away a butterfly that kept daring towards her face; stupid bug!

The other guy…Gracie's eyes grew wider. He was…gorgeous! He had brown skin the color of caramel and…and a dazzling smile. A black boy in rural Ireland would've been remarkable enough but…the weapon strapped at his back was equally as shocking. He was carrying a trident, an actual trident; and if the woman was a princess…then this guy definitely was acting the part of a prince! It wasn't exactly the same but all of the soldiers paid him as much as they did the other two.

The butterfly darted back towards her ace. What the heck was wrong with that thing? The butterfly ducked around Gracie's hand and…

"HELLO THERE!"

Gracie blinked and…if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought the stupid bug was talking to her. It sure sounded like that cry had come from right in front of her. Whoever had said it, the cry drew the attention of the three "magic knights".

"Gracie? What…?"

"This bug is going berserk," Gracie grunted. "Bad enough everyone is acting so weird but…" There was brief flash and Gracie's arm froze in mid-air. Her…her entire body was frozen, even her mouth. Oh God…this had been a trap! She'd led her baby sister right into a trap! She couldn't even turn her head to see if…the insane flipping butterfly settled into her field of vision…and Gracie's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of her head. Something was VERY wrong…because that butterfly was…WAS…talking to her. What's more…it wasn't a butterfly. The thing had been moving so fast that she hadn't noticed but the only thing resembling a butterfly in what floated before her were the wings. Attached to those wings…was a person, an actual person! Standing before her…or rather floating before her was…

Gracie's eyes rolled up into her head and everything went dark.

Author's Notes:

Finally we get to start the second part. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog was about the most underrated 90s kids show of my youth. The premise revolved around a group of power rangers-like characters known as the Mystic Knights, a wizard's apprentice, his pick-pocket best friend, their princess, and a prince from a faraway land are sucked into the world of Tir Na Nog, the land of the Faeries (also the land of eternal youth in Irish mythology). After completing a series of challenges, the four are gifted with magical weapons and eventually magic armor to help them battle the evil Queen Maeve who is determined to rule the entire island. The whole series was based off of Irish mythology and the entire two season series was shot on location in Ireland. I've long been kicking around an idea for a medieval version of Kim Possible and if this story goes well, I might pursue it further.

A bit of foreshadowing: Look for Gracie to discover much more about what it means to be meta-human.

Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog and all associated characters are the copyrighted property of Saban Entertainment. Intellectual property rights are unknown.