Okay, I'm back ;) The last chapter got me pumping, and plus, with the original plotline back, I'm on a roll with this story :D I apologize if anybody might have gotten disappointed or upset with the last chapter, but don't lose heart. This will all play out, trust me.
And now, it's time Dena and her friends finally got to see the one man they've been after for so long...but can they handle what's in store for them?
Themen was kind enough to let Dena ride him down to the outer courtyard. A large crowd had been allowed to gather in front of a pair of very large, very tall green and gold doors, doors that Dena and her friends had not used but seen when first entering the palace. The girl could only assume they led to the Mage. The crowd had gathered to hear news from their ruler in regards to the Black Norn's attack the night before. The sun was now setting, throwing everything into a deep golden glow with shadows.
The approach of the newly recognized princess astride her rather large griffin friend caused a stir on the edge of the crowd, whilst other Jadeites and citizens waited eagerly at the edge of the front platform for news.
As Dena dismounted Themen, she heard someone calling her name behind her. The girl turned and saw Quen and Syrvic rushing up, Tahoe barking eagerly in the crook of the robot's arm. The pup jumped down and ran up to his owner.
"Dena!" Quen exclaimed, "There's something I gotta tell you—"
"—Forget it," the girl cut in avoiding his eyes, "we're going to see the Mage, and he's going to solve our problems."
"But Dena—" the scarecrow protested.
"Quen, this is not the time to act stupid," the girl interrupted again.
"Dena, will you just listen to him!" Syrvic insisted. Dena was about to say something else when a great commotion arose from the crowd.
The group glanced over to see a trio of Jadeite guards in dress armor emerge from the green and gold doors. The Captain of the Guard was the tallest Jadeite Dena had ever seen, though not the most attractive of his kind. He wore a long green cloak and carried his helmet under his left arm. He carried a tall green and gold spear capped with an emerald blade in his right hand; and as he approached the crowd, the yelling grew louder. Many of the people standing around were angry and upset, demanding answers from the armored man. The guard captain stopped and stared around for a moment, taking in the din of voices around him. The emerald spearhead flashed bright green, and the Jadeite banged it once on the platform, causing a great boom that silenced the crowd.
"The Mage has a message for his people," the Captain announced, his great booming voice requiring no microphones or sound systems to be heard by the entire crowd.
"In regards to the attack that took place on this city twenty-four hours ago, the Mage of Eldan says that you have nothing to fear. He is here to protect you, and has matters well in hand. That is all you need to know, and that you may now cease and depart. The Mage has spoken!" With that the emerald spearhead flashed again and the Captain banged his spear once more before turning back towards the great doors.
"That was it?" Dena asked in dismay, annoyed at the shortness of the message and disliking the negative feeling she was getting out of this. She exchanged looks with her friends.
"Well that's not good enough for me. We came to get results, and we're gonna get 'em. Come on!" The others voiced their agreement and followed Dena as she dove into the crowd that was now funneling out through the outer gate. It wasn't easy fighting the flow of people when they were heading away from the platform.
"Hey, watch it buddy! Out of my way!" she grunted. The girl ended up struggling and pushing her way through, that is, until Themen stepped in.
"You heard the lady, out of her way!" he roared, causing the entire crowed to part like the Red Sea in shock at the large griffin's voice. Dena raised an eyebrow.
"Why Themen, I had no idea you had it in you," she commented, leading the way down the new aisle.
"It's one of the few services I offer," the griffin joked as he lumbered on after her.
As the group approached the platform, it became clear that the Captain of the Guard and his comrades had stopped to see what all the commotion was about. He stood there, watching the odd procession come up to the platform.
"Excuse me," Dena said to the head guard, "my friends and I want to see the Mage, all four of us."
"No one sees the Mage unless summoned," the Captain responded, now looking irritated. He especially didn't like the onlookers from the remaining crowd. This was the very first time anyone had gone against the Mage's edicts.
"But this is Dena," Quen piped up. Now the Head Guard looked surprised.
"The one in message?"
"The one and only," Dena replied matter-of-factly.
"And you seek the Mage on this matter?" the guard said, his brows raised in curiosity.
"Hey, I'm the reason that old wee-atch from the north came down to bother you guys, and yes, I came here to do something about it," Dena pointed out, "so tell the Mage, will ya?"
"Royals, typical," one of the guards muttered while rolling his eyes. The Captain shushed him and turned back to Dena.
"I'll announce your request, highness," he said grudgingly, "wait here." With that the Guard Captain turned with his comrades and walked magically through the gates without looking back.
As soon as he was gone, Dena screamed,
"Yes! We're finally gonna see the Mage! Whoo!" She jumped for joy and picked up Tahoe to twirl him around in the air.
"Brain, here I come," Quen said, though his enthusiasm was dampened.
"I think I'm getting a pulse just thinking about it!" Syrvic said excitedly.
"I'll be able to see Nana in time for dinner," Dena added.
"And I'll be King of the western woods!" Themen jumped with delight.
"What?" Dena said in surprise. Syrvic and Quen glanced over curiously.
"I always wanted to be king of the western forests," the griffin explained, "I just never had the courage to be one. It takes courage and bravery to rule, you know."
"Themen…I had no idea," Dena said in wonder.
"You're not gonna go back to rule Skerna Forest, are you?" Syrvic asked.
"No way!" the griffin started, "I wouldn't go back there in a million years, but there are other forests out there, just crying out for a griffin like me to rule them! And I would be able to fly too…maybe." Themen seemed to be having second thoughts about that last part.
"That would be fun, to fly," Dena said dreamily.
"Yeah, you could get out of a lotta sticky spots with flying," Quen added. Themen turned momentarily green at this, and then quickly got back to the king part of the conversation.
"I'd show all those big monsters living out there who was boss!" he declared, "nobody would think of me as a laughingstock again!"
"So, your majesty," Dena teased, "you wouldn't be scared of anything?"
"Nope, not a thing," the griffin said, pacing majestically along the platform. Though his behavior seemed more comical than kingly, but he didn't really notice Dena's giggling, or the amused smiles on Quen or Syrvic's faces.
Quen then remembered earlier that day, and why Dena had told him she was going to see the Mage in the first place.
"So…does this mean…you're leaving?" he asked the girl. Dena's smile faded at this, and she couldn't bring herself to look directly at him.
"Yeah," she said finally, "I guess it does. The Mage is the only one who has the power to get me back home."
"Do you have to go?" the scarecrow asked. Now the others were listening in. Dena was now finding it hard to speak.
"I—"
Boom! The foursome was interrupted by the Captain of the Guard's staff. For a second, Dena was thrown off-guard by how frazzled the Jadeite suddenly looked, as well as the fact that his clothing and armor looked oddly singed, with bits of smoke rising up from various spots. The Captain was absolutely livid, with an accusing glare aimed solidly at the group.
"Get out," he said in a low, dark voice. Dena and her friends all frowned in confusion.
"What?" Syrvic asked, speaking everyone's thoughts.
"Get out!" the man roared. He and both his comrades were then pointing their spears threateningly at the foursome.
"I don't care who you are or where you come from or what your rank is! The Mage will see no one and that is final! Leave!" Dena and her friends backed away in fright at the sharpness in the man's voice, and they had no interest in challenging the now unfriendly-looking, sharp, emerald-tipped spears aimed at them. The guards then turned abruptly and vanished into the doors. The lights in the courtyard dimmed, and the few onlookers that had dared to stay and watch the "show" had fled, leaving Dena and her friends alone.
Alone…
"No…" Dena whispered in disbelief. Quen, Syrvic, and Themen all looked at her.
"No…" she whispered again, and something snapped in side her, her feet carrying her forward. Her steps grew faster, and her ears were deaf to her friends when they called out to her. Dena bashed into the green and gold doors as hard as she could.
"NO! You can't do this to me!" she cried out, her voice fueled by the sudden pain. She pounded on the now solid doors, not believing what she and her friends had just been told.
"I went through hell to get here, you son of a motherless jackal! I almost died—several times! How can you do this to me? To us?"
Dena pounded on the doors, screaming more obscenities and declarations that were totally unfit for a princess to say in public.
"I almost got toasted! I almost got trussed up by a tree, burned by dogs, thrown over a ledge, hunted by mutants, poisoned by flowers, and now you say it's all over? How DARE you! You double-crossing bastard!"
The girl then felt something grab her and drag her away from the doors. She screamed and fought against her captors, all the while going hysterical. This was not what she needed at this moment. But whoever held her was too strong for her to break free, and she kept it up like a madwoman. She fought and writhed against the living bonds that dragged her backwards, but Dena had been through too much. This had been a very trying and emotional day. She finally gave in to the sea of tears that had threatened to flow.
Quen had not been strong enough to handle Dena in this state, so he let the robot and the griffin drag her away towards the outer gates. Never, in the time they had known her, and any of Dena's friends seen her this upset. She didn't even seem to know it was her friends dragging her away, and she fought against them. It made Quen sad to see her like this, even more so than what the others felt.
Dena felt like a horrible chasm had opened in her chest, and a terrible weight settled on her soul. It couldn't have hurt worse if a knife had been plunged in there. She collapsed on the edge of the platform in a hysterical crying fit, no longer fighting Themen and Syrvic. She'd given up. After all she had been through; it seemed the greatest injustice of the universe to snatch away the one chance she had to go home.
The girl was only vaguely aware of leaning against Themen's furry, feathery shoulder, or Syrvic's hand on her own shoulder, or Quen wiping her eyes with his scarf and putting his straw-filled arms around her. She had lost sense of it all, just crying senselessly into the embrace of her friends, her tears soaking into fabric and feathers. After a while, Dena was able to form words again.
"I was gonna tell Nana I was sorry for running away," the girl sobbed, "She's done so much for me, and I took it all for granted." Her friends remained silent, listening as she poured out her despair. What none of them was aware of was the fact that someone else was listening as well.
A figure in a green and gold hooded robe had entered the courtyard on an errand and happened to catch the sound of someone weeping. He stopped and listened, soon realizing it was Princess Dena he was hearing, and at the same time he realized something terrible had happened. Oreyif drew closer and eavesdropped.
"…Adonnais said that she'd done a lot for me, that she loved me very much," Dena continued, sniffing, "A storm hit, and I was so scared that something had happened to her. The tornado hit before I could find her. I don't know if she's hurt, or if she's even still alive. And she was the last family I had after mom and dad died. I miss her…so much…" the girl couldn't say much more. She could barely even breathe; she had spent so much energy on her futile attack on the door.
Tears were now rolling down Oreyif's green cheeks. He'd seen the Mage turn away people before, but never had it had the kind of effects on his people as it did this girl. Apparently her situation was even more desperate than any of them had realized, that the Mage was her last hope. It made the Jadeite's heart go out to her and her friends.
"Confound you, you old bastard," the man muttered angrily, wiping his tears away.
He boldly went over to the door and slapped a jeweled panel with his hand. The Mage's guards emerged through the gate as before, walking straight through the seemingly solid doors like they weren't there. The Captain of the Guard looked irritated once more, but didn't say a word in Oreyif's presence.
"Let them in." Oreyif commanded, a hard look in his pine-green eyes. His words caused Dena and her friends to look up in surprise. The Captain was equally astonished.
"But…but Eminence…you know the law. No one can hold an audience with the Mage unless summoned," the man protested.
Dena, Quen, Syrvic, and Themen all got up, feeling very uncertain about what was going on in front of their very eyes.
"Eminence?" Dena repeated to her friends. All they could do was shrug.
Oreyif was not to be swayed. Although he was only an inch shorter than the other Jadeite, it was very clear he out-sized the Captain in authority. He drew back his hood.
"I said 'let them in,'" he repeated, raising his right hand, "by Order of the Liaison." A tattoo of a clockwork gear lit up in gold in the palm of Oreyif's hand, and the sight of it made the Captain and his two comrades step backwards a bit. The Captain bit his lip and touched the jeweled pad Oreyif had used moments before. With a slow moan and creak, the twelve-foot-tall gates slowly opened, revealing a vaulted green corridor that looked very dark at the end. It seemed odd now to see them open physically, after watching the guards pass in and out of them like ghosts.
By now Dena and her friends had cautiously come over to investigate. Dena met eyes with the Liaison, not realizing until now that there was more to this Oreyif than had first met the eye.
"Who are you?" she asked, not sure what else to say. The Jadeite's expression was unreadable.
"That's not important now. Go, all of you. Be careful of what you say, and don't be afraid." At this he gave a very pointed look at Themen.
"And if the Great Mage asks, tell him I sent you. Go! Now!" He urged the foursome in through the doors. After a few moments, he closed them again with the jeweled panel.
"He'll have your hide for this, you know," the Captain warned Oreyif.
"Better mine than theirs, Captain."
~/~/~/~/~
The hallway seemed much darker and more foreboding after the doors shut. Dim green light filtered in, yet it was impossible to tell where it came from. The foursome kept close together, wary of anything. Despite the lack of noise (besides their footsteps) and the fact that they were indoors, Dena felt more fearful now than she had when she and her friends had set foot in Skerna Forest. There was no telling what they'd find in this place, and she had no idea what the Mage was like. Judging from the behavior of the Captain of the guards, there was something very unsettling about the whole situation.
Both Dena and Quen were very tense, Syrvic was wary, and Tahoe was extremely quiet, but Themen was an absolute wreck. The further in they went down the hall, the more he quaked, and the shorter his shallow breaths got. Halfway down the hall he cracked.
The griffin did the fastest one-eighty Dena had ever seen, (all the while whacking Syrvic in the legs with his tail), and darting down the hall. Fueled by the unintentional insult, the robot angrily rushed after the beast and tackled him twenty feet away from the gates.
"Not so fast, buster!" the robot snapped, holding the griffin tightly.
"I wanna go home!" Themen broke out in tears, "I'll be fine—just send me a postcard after you've seen him." With that he wailed and let out a shower of tears on the floor.
Dena and Quen rushed over to the griffin's side. The girl kneeled down and grabbed Themen's head, forcing him to look at her.
"Themen, look at me. Breathe…" It took some coaxing, but the griffin slowly calmed a tiny bit.
"You came to the Mage to get some bravery, right? Why are you running away from the very guy who can help you?"
"Because I'm t-too scared to ask him!" Themen blubbered.
"Would it help if we asked for you?" Dena offered. The griffin quieted down and thought for a second.
"Um…okay…" he said uncertainly. Syrvic felt Themen relax and very carefully got off him. Dena kept coaching the griffin in breathing deeply as they got him to his clawed feet and went back down the hall.
"It's all right Themen, we'll be right with you all the way," Dena soothed. Syrvic walked at Themen's other side, ready to grab him should he try to escape again. Quen remained at Dena's side as they made their way closer and closer to the dark doorway at the end.
The foursome cautiously passed through the vaulted archway into a room that was pitch-black. Everyone was tense, unsure of what was to happen. That was when a weird smell filled the room, a strange burning smell. Dena and her friends were then startled to see a ring of small, green flames light on the edges of what was revealed to be a large alcove leading to a much, much bigger room than they'd first realized.
"Who dares to enter my chamber?"
The foursome jumped in fright, not at all expecting the sharp, booming voice. It seemed to come from everywhere, and made the whole situation feel even worse. Dena would have asked who said that, but she realized she didn't have to.
"We did," she managed to call out a little too quietly into the darkness.
"Forward! Now!" Dena and her friends yelped and screamed when they suddenly felt the floor beneath them rush away from the door. What they had thought was a solid floor was in fact a platform made of dark green rock, nestled against a "balcony" of sorts. They all ended up falling on their knees before scooting away from the platform's now uncomfortably close edges. The platform appeared to float across an immense chasm filled with green fire a great distance below, and at the far edges of the cavernous room, Dena could see green flames lighting up in succession as they moved, albeit quickly.
"Hang on and stay still," Quen told everyone. Themen didn't even try to bolt this time, but was frozen like a statue. Dena wondered if he'd suddenly gone catatonic. Tahoe, on the other hand, was oddly unaffected by this whole craziness, and it bothered his owner a great deal. It didn't take long for the platform to slow to a stop in the middle of the great void, while the flames raced down the sides of the room and met at the other end. It was then a great explosion of green fire flared up, lighting the room the entire way and revealing something that made the foursome gasp in shock.
Whatever it was, it looked vaguely human, and yet was something else too. It was made of the same green fire as the rest of the room's lighting, and yet more frightening and solid. It sat on a burning green throne that spewed smoke, and reminded Dena of a cross between some ancient god and a monster. The only thing she was certain of was that this had to be the guy they were looking for.
"I am Eldan, Lord of all the lands you have seen and not seen, Ruler to those who carry the green flag of the Mage! Step forward and acknowledge! Who art thou?"
"I'm Dorothy, Meek and Mild," Dena muttered sarcastically.
"Hey!" Syrvic hissed, nudging her.
"Okay, okay," she growled at him. The girl stood up and was pushed forward.
"Watch it," she warned, keeping an eye on the edge of the platform. It took her a moment to find her voice fore she called out,
"I go by the name Dena, Princess…I guess, we're here to ask—"
"—Silence!" the Mage boomed, nearly flattening Dena with the force of his voice, "I know why you've come, why they all come. You think I can give you the things you selfishly desire? You! Automaton!"
Before anyone could blink, a green lash of fire suddenly whipped out and grabbed Syrvic, making him fly through the air until the hapless robot was at eye level with the horrible, glaring visage the Mage possessed.
"How dare you come ask me for a heart, you walking junk pile!" It took Syrvic a moment to realize that the ribbon of green flame around his waist wasn't melting him, and to comprehend what the Mage was saying to him.
"Um, yeah," was all he managed to say before he was tossed back onto the platform like a metal rag doll.
"Syrvic!" Dena yelped, rushing over to see if he was okay. He turned out to be more shaken than damaged in any way, though he looked very bewildered.
"As for you, scarecrow…" the Mage thundered. At this Quen was groveling at the edge of the platform in two seconds, trying really hard not to freak out at another possible grab of green fire. It was one thing for him to feel fear at normal red fire, but this green fire was something else, and he was now feeling as much terror inside as Themen.
"You have the audacity to assume I'll give you a brain? You billowing sack of cow cud!" the monstrous apparition demanded.
"Hey!" Dena let out, angered by the insult towards Quen.
"That-that's right y-your worship—I mean your mageness!" Quen blurted out.
"Enough! Such wind pours from your mouth!" the Mage snapped.
"Look who's talking," Dena muttered.
The Mage cocked what constituted as his head to the side.
"Ah, I see we have one more. Step forward griffin! What do you want so badly that you can't live without?" Dena and Syrvic reluctantly went over and found that Themen was still able to walk, but he couldn't take his bulging, yellow, cat-like eyes off the Mage. They brought him forward, though now the beast was shaking violently, and his fur felt cold to the touch. If his dragon-like face had not been covered in fur, it would have been white as a sheet. For a second, he was absolutely silent.
"Speak!" the Mage exploded.
"Themen!" Dena cried out as the griffin collapsed onto the platform. She crashed to her knees and shook the beast, even slapping him in the face a few times to try and revive him. No dice. Now Dena was livid. She whirled on the Mage.
"How dare you!" she shouted, "We came to ask you for help, because you're the only one who can, and all you do is turn around and spit in our faces! You call yourself a Mage? You're the world's biggest—"
"—Quiet!" the Mage snapped, blasting the edge of the platform with a green thunderbolt. Dena yelped and stumbled backwards into Syrvic's arms.
"Jiminy Horcromps!" the robot murmured.
"You said it, brother," Dena muttered, still startled by the lightning. Now she was starting to understand how the Captain of the Guard had gotten singed.
The Mage contemplated the little group before him before speaking again.
"You are a troublesome bunch, but…I'm feeling generous today." Dena blinked in surprise. She wasn't sure what she was hearing, and hoped against hope.
"I will grant your requests, provided you can survive the test." The Mage declared.
"What?" Dena said.
"What?" Quen said in disbelief.
"What?" Syrvic was shocked.
"What? What did he say?" Themen said groggily, reviving from his faint.
"To prove that you're worthy of my time, I give you only one task. Come before me again, only when you possess the Black Norn's staff!"
The foursome couldn't have been more floored if the Mage had flattened them with a giant hammer.
"Are you insane?" Dena cried out, realizing what he was asking, "She'll kill us!"
"That horror will never give up her staff so long as she's alive!" Syrvic added, "She's had it for centuries!"
"You have your task before you," the Mage declared, "Bring her staff to me, and you shall have your requests granted. Now get out!"
In the blink of an eye, the foursome found themselves back in front of the doorway to the vaulted green hall. How they'd missed the trip back on the platform was anybody's guess. But they were all grateful not to be so close to the chasm anymore. The Mage also looked more distant now, and was nothing more than a green pillar of flame at the other end of the room. However, Themen couldn't help but ask one more question.
"But what if we get killed first?"
"I SAID GET OUT!" the Mage's voice tore through the room and everyone's eardrums. Themen didn't have to be told twice, nor did anyone feel like stopping him now. He blasted out of there faster than a rocket and smashed through the nearest window to escape. Luckily, since they were on the first floor, he didn't hurt himself too much outside.
Meanwhile, Dena and her friends left as quickly as possible, and the girl had only one thing to say as they headed out.
"We are so toast."
Wow! Talk about earth-shattering :S Not only has the Mage been scary for them, but now he's asking for the impossible! How are Dena and her friends going to complete their task?
There will be more in the coming chapter, though it won't be what you guys expect.
They don't have hardly any facts about this scene in the Wizard of Oz film, though it's rumored that Frank Morgan's face was used as a model for the creepy head Dorothy and her friends saw. (He denied it, of course).
It has been interesting to note about the guard that denied Dorothy and her friends at first. People have noticed silly little things, like how his crazy mustache goes up or down, or the fact that when he cried after hearing about Aunt Em, his tears looked like they were coming out of his eyebrows instead of his eyes, lol.
The Lion's "King of the Forest" song always made me smile. When I watched Wizard of Oz in that old 30s theater I mentioned in chapter 11, everybody laughed during that song :) People have always wondered how the Lion's makeshift crown could be pottery one minute, & yet bounce like rubber after the song was over & it fell off his head.
In the book, Dorothy and her friends each saw the Wizard separately, and each time he came in a different form when talking to them. Unlike in the film, the Wizard squarely told all of them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West, rather than bring her broomstick back. I think they changed the dialogue to make the movie a little less ominous, like with the skywriting.
Stick around for the next chapter :) and Happy New Year everybody!