Chapter 5: A Chilly Test atop Snowy Summit…
In the Doodle Fairy Kingdom, the doodle fairies and their leader, Queen Kadoodle, were on high alert for any sign of Maligna after they received the message from Quetzal of her return.
Suddenly, the sky began to turn a dark and green color and they heard an evil laugh.
Then from a puff of green smoke on the outside entrance to the kingdom, Maligna appeared and smirked evilly at the frightened doodle fairies.
"Greetings, insects of the Doodle Fairy Kingdom." The evil witch began to speak. "It is I, Maligna! I have returned and I have come to reclaim Dragonland as my kingdom!"
She began to raise her wand high. "Now all your magic and all of you will belong to me!"
She pointed her wand and with her magic she began to drain the kingdom of all magic making the doodle fairies fly away in fear to safety! Then Maligna held a magical cage and with a spell, she began to suck all the doddle fairies into the cage capturing them and having their doodle magic taken too!
Queen Kadoodle had a look of horror on her face and began to cry hard as she helplessly watched her kingdom and her people be taken from her.
Maligna then walked up to the helpless and crying doddle fairy Queen. "Hello, Queen Kadoodle. It is nice to see you as doodle fairy queen."
The doodle fairy Queen had a look of dread in her face as she looked at the evil sorceress.
"Your precious people never put up a fight against me and look at them now." She held the cage to show the queen. "Caged like the insects you are. If only you insects could talk, I would've taken much joy out of listening to you cry in terror."
Maligna smirked and held the cage door open. "Perhaps you should join them so you wouldn't feel alone."
Maligna then used the cages magic to suck the queen into it! The queen tried to fight and held her throne tightly to not let herself be sucked in, but the magic was too strong! She let go and was sucked into the cage alongside her people!
Maligna laughed again. "All too easy." She then flicked her wand to the cage, and it was transported to her lair.
As Maligna made her way out of the now magic drained doodle fairy kingdom, she found Cyrus waiting for her
"Ah. There you are, serpent." Maligna said. "Have you retrieved the Rainbow Cross-Guard?"
Cyrus chuckled nervously. "Weeeeeelllll, I… I… I…
"Well what?!" Maligna said in annoyance. "Speak up!"
"Wellll, Cassie and Emmy got away with it." Cyrus nervously chuckled.
"WHAT?!" Maligna shouted with a burst of green fire from her body scaring Cyrus. "You let those brats get away with the cross-guard?! What happened?!"
Cyrus began to explain. "It was an accident! The bottle troll was defeated by Cassie and Emmy! I tried to grab it, but I felt hungry and found eggs to eat… But I was pecked by the mother bird." He chuckled nervously.
"You let…" Maligna said in pure annoyance. "…the little brats get away because a bunch of worthless eggs distracted you?!"
"I was so hungry!" Cyrus wailed. "I couldn't help it!"
Maligna growled in anger. "You were warned, serpent, what failure would bring!"
Maligna pointed her wand at Cyrus and then with magic she unleashed a torture spell on the slinky serpent causing him to groan and cry in pain. "Let's this be a lesson to you, serpent. I do not take failure lightly."
She finished the spell and Cyrus looked at the sorceress with fear. "Y-y-yes mistress Maligna. I understand."
"Good." Maligna said. "Fortunately for you, they may have gotten away with one fragment, but there are still two more to swipe."
She then pointed her wand and unleashed a projection of Snowy Summit. "Make your way to Snowy Summit and steal the icicle grip. Max and his blue dragon friend Ord will be there soon. And do…. Not… fail me… again!"
Cyrus nodded nervously. "Y-y-yes mistress. As you wish."
Cyrus then slithered his way to snowy summit.
Meanwhile in Maligna's lair, the kidnapped doodle fairies sat in their cage, terrified. They tried to comfort each other to the best of their ability.
Queen Kadoodle then saw a paper near the cage and with whatever magic she had left she used it to draw a picture of Max, Emmy and their dragon friends.
After the drawing was complete she held her hands and prayed, her people joining her, that the children and dragons will find a way to defeat Maligna and save them.
At Snowy Summit, Ord and Max flew their way to an open area. When they landed, they were greeted by a familiar snowman and his snow dog. They were Chilly and Nippy.
"Hi there, you two!" Chilly happily greeted the two.
"Chilly! Nippy!" Max and Ord happily greeted with Nippy barking happily running up to Max.
The boy gave the snow dog a hug and the dog licked his face making him laugh happily.
"Have you two come here to claim the Icicle Grip of the Scepter of Chivalry?" Chilly asked.
"Yes Chilly." Ord answered. "How did you know?"
"Quetzal told me when he told all of Dragonland of the evil Maligna's return." Chilly answered.
"Can you help us?" Max asked before opening the map and showing Chilly.
They studied the map carefully then Chilly spoke up.
"I know where the Icicle Grip is!" The snowman said. "It's in a chamber hidden in icicle caverns."
Ord and Max listened to the snowman. "Once you two make your way to the caverns by sledding there, you must pass a test where only one's courage can open the door to the chamber."
The two wondered what the snowman meant, but they still nodded in understanding.
"You got it Chilly!" Max said. "We can do it!"
"Yeah!" Ord said. "Come on little buddy. Let's go to icicle caverns!"
Max and Ord made their way to icicle caverns as Chilly looked in the two with hope. "Good luck you two. We know you can do it." Nippy barked in hope for the two.
After a few moments of walking through the snowy woods the two made their way to the sledding slope that leads to Icicle Caverns. The Ord pulled a sled out of his pouch and got it on the ground ready for them to sled to the caverns.
"You ready, little buddy?" Ord asked Max.
"Ready, Ord!" Max said excitedly.
The two then got on the sled and began to sled down the slope laughing and having fun. After a few moments, they made it to Icicle caverns.
"We made it!" Max said.
The two got off the sled then Ord put the sled away and then suddenly, they saw writings above the cave's entrance.
"Hey Max look up there." Ord said pointing to the messages.
The writings bore the following message:
"The icicle grip lies in a chamber in the end of this icy cave, for evil's return must be defeated by those who are truly brave. Only one with courage, no matter the size, shall open the door to claim the prize."
Max and Ord looked at each other in wonder. "Only one with courage?" Ord asked. "What does this mean?"
"I'm pretty brave." Max said. "I can probably be the one to open the door."
"Well come on Max." Ord said. "Let's go."
The two made their way down the passageway to the chamber of the icicle grip. Unknown to them however, Cyrus was following them till he got to the entrance with a magic whistle in his hand.
"Ok you two. How about less talking and more… scared whimpering." Cyrus smirked evilly then blew into the whistle in the direction of the cave passageway.
While Max and Ord were walking down the passageway, they suddenly began to hear a spooky wailing noise. The noise started to scare Max a bit but really scared Ord.
"Ooooohhhhhh!" Ord said feeling frightened by the noise. "I don't like that scary wailing sound!"
Ord then began to turn invisible like he always did when he got scared this much which worried Max.
"Ord!" Max shouted worried about his buddy. "Please don't turn invisible!"
Ord became completely invisible, and Max began to search for him. "Ord?! Ord where are you?!"
Cyrus, who was hiding behind Max and Ord watched closely as his plan, or Maligna's orders, were working this time.
"Nows my chance to get the Icicle Grip!" Cyrus shouted as he ran down the hallway to the door when suddenly he slipped on ice and fell to the icy floor face first getting his tongue stuck to the icy floor in the process.
He struggled to get his tongue stuck for a while, but he finally did it with the sound of a cracking whip. When he got his tongue unstuck, he slipped on ice again and tumbled out of the cave and into a pile of snow outside.
Meanwhile, Max continued to search for Ord until he bumped into something that looked like it wasn't there, but still was. He realized it was Ord still invisible.
"Ord! I found you!" Max shouted.
"Oooohhh!" Ord whined still scared noise. "I can't do it Max! That noise is too scary!"
"Yes, you can, Ord!" Max shouted trying to encourage Ord but to no avail. Max had to do something to help his big dragon buddy, like all the times his big sister helped him when he felt scared and alone. He knew now it was his turn to help Ord.
Then suddenly, a memory flashed in Max's mind.
"Ord!" Max shouted. "Remember when we all helped Sir Doodle deliver princess Kadoodle's crown?"
"Y-y-yes?" Ord asked wondering where his little buddy was going.
"We went to those mountains, and we thought we heard thunder, but it was drumming giants!" Max continued.
Ord listened but was still scared.
"Remember the rhyme we all said to help you?!" Max said as Ord nodded but Max didn't see it. "Let's say that again to help you get through the scary noise!"
Ord then remembered what Max was talking about and completely trust his little buddy to help him. "O-ok little buddy. I trust ya."
Max then took invisible Ord's hand then they began walking together down the hallway as the wailing noise continued.
Max began to speak the rhyme they said to help Ord. "Step by step. We're moving on. We're all right here, till our fears are gone!"
As they continued walking Ord no longer felt afraid as the memory of the rhyme really dug deep into his mind and remembered all his friends helping him. Now his little buddy was doing the same for him. He then began to turn visible again which made Max happy.
They said the rhyme together. "Step by step. We're moving on. We're all right here…"
Ord finished with courage in his voice. "…till my fears are gone!"
The two continued walking no longer feeling afraid of the wailing noise till they made it to the door to the chamber of the Icicle Grip!
"Welcome to the chamber of the Icicle Grip." The door said. "Congratulations on your journey with courage in your hearts to make it here." The door said then its eyes pointed to Ord.
"Congratulations especially to you, Ord." The door said as Ord looked in surprise. He didn't know what the door was talking about till it spoke again.
"You became the one who displayed true courage in the face of so much fear when those you love the most helped you continue on your quest to get to me." The door said.
Ord then realized what the door was talking about and learned what courage truly meant. He knew he was scared and admitted he was. But he remembered everyone he loves helping him through all his fears and the missions he must do to help everyone who loves him. That's what true courage is about.
"For displaying courage in the face of fear and with everyone you love helping him, you became the one to open me to claim the icicle grip." The door smiled. "You two shall enter to claim your prize."
The door opened and displayed the Icicle Grip sitting on a pedestal waiting to be claimed by those worthy.
"We did it, Ord!" Max shouted. "We got the Icicle Grip!"
"We did little buddy!" Ord Said. "Thank you for helping me. I was scared, but I was never alone thanks to you!"
Suddenly, Ord's dragon badge began to glow! "Hey! My dragon badge is glowing!"
Max smiled at his Dragon buddy's achievement for himself. "I knew you could do it!" Max said smiling.
The two then went to grab the Icicle Grip then began to make their way out of the icy cave.
"Good luck you two." The door said with hope for the two as they continued their quest to defeat Maligna.
Outside of the cave, Cyrus was coming to in the snow pile, only to see Max and Ord fly away with the icicle grip!
"Awww rats!" Cyrus shouted! "They got away!"
Cyrus shuddered in fear that he will have to endure another punishment by Maligna, but he had to tell the news to her.
As he ran off to find Maligna, he began to question everything he has done and the punishments he endured from the evil sorceress and how special the bonds were between the children and their dragon friends.
He started to question whether they were right to stop him in all his egg hunts and that they were right about every lesson they taught him.
But he didn't really have time to question it further as he went to tell Maligna his failure and endure her harsh punishment.