Then they heard laughter, sinister laughter coming from every direction in
the room. The laughter grew louder as they tried to place it. It was raspy
sounding, the laughter of an old man. Dark magic swirled into the room and
picked up the twisted pieces of the tapestry and reworked it together. Only
now it held new images.
The face of King Haggard, and the menacing Red Bull.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lir spent the entire day holed up in his office going over papers and seeing villagers as they came to him for help. The castle guards and other members of the staff were keenly aware that his mood was dark, but they didn't ask. One foolish maid had asked and she was sent out of the room in near tears by a fierce tone, reminiscent of King Haggard.
Molly spent her day with Princess Aurora in the village. The people were delighted to see the young princess. She laughed and played with the other children her age while Molly gossiped about the castle with the other women. She did not, however, mention anything of the king and queen other than to say," Their Majesties are very happy together still." Aurora also didn't speak of her mother, or what she had seen. She was in deep shock and almost didn't believe it herself. 'But I saw it all. And Mommy is a unicorn.' She went over to a large tree and sat down in the shade, thinking about all she had been told. She watched the other children play and gave Molly a smile when she worriedly looked at her.
One of the women noticed it and asked, "Is everything alright with the princess?"
Molly looked startled but answered with a quick and easy lie. "She was feeling a bit ill this morning. The fresh air is helping though."
The ladies smiled and nodded. "She's a tough girl our princess. She takes after her mother. Queen Amalthea really is remarkable to have stayed in these lands. I heard a rumor once that King Haggard tried to push her off a balcony! Can you imagine?"
Molly forced a laugh. "No, I can't imagine anyone wishing to harm her."
Aurora was thinking about her father's reaction to Amalthea's change. 'Is it forever? Will Mommy be a unicorn for the rest of her life? I thought unicorns lived forever. Where are the others?'
"Princess!" A young girl called out, snapping her out of her thought. "You're way too young to look so serious. Come jump rope with us."
She smiled and got up, shaking off the dust and hurried to begin skipping song with the other girls.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Schmendrick and Amalthea spent the day in a meadow, far enough from the village so that no one would recognise the magician. For the sake of protecting his friend, with her permission, he had cast a spell so that even to a believing heart she appeared as a white mare.
"I feel a little silly. I can remember everything of my life before you. I used to get so angry at being mistaken for a horse." She lay quietly on the grass, watching the magician as he paced back and forth. He chuckled and smiled at her. "I know. Mommy Fortuna used magic to show your true self and now I have to hide it."
Amalthea got up and walked over to her friend, taking his shirt in her teeth and stopping his pacing. "Schmendrick, the tapestry." She trailed off. He looked at her and gently brushed his hand against her mane. He sighed, not wanting to believe what he saw. Things were bad enough with Lir and Amalthea semi at odds with each other and Aurora knew everything. The fire and Amalthea returning to her true form and the sinister image in the tapestry were too much at once.
He looked towards the castle and down at the cave. When the moon rose that night Amalthea's life would be danger if the Bull was really back.
"I think it would be best if you left." She shook her head and gave a cry of distaste. "Your life is in danger."
"And so is my daughter's, and my friend's, and Lir's. Perhaps his life more than any of the others. King Haggard's ghost is probably quite angry. I came here to find the others and now that I've remembered them at last, I can't turn my back on them. If it isn't too late already, I must find a way to free them.
Schmendrick smiled. "I will help you."
(a.n.- Sorry for the lack of update and the shortness of this chapter. I have family over and am going to be going out of town in a few days. I probably won't have my next chapter up until July 27th at the latest. I'm sorry to everyone who's currently reading Regrets for making you guys wait. But have no fear; I'm not going to abandon it. Just put it on the shelf until things have calmed down and I don't have to entertain people. ~Juliet)
The face of King Haggard, and the menacing Red Bull.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lir spent the entire day holed up in his office going over papers and seeing villagers as they came to him for help. The castle guards and other members of the staff were keenly aware that his mood was dark, but they didn't ask. One foolish maid had asked and she was sent out of the room in near tears by a fierce tone, reminiscent of King Haggard.
Molly spent her day with Princess Aurora in the village. The people were delighted to see the young princess. She laughed and played with the other children her age while Molly gossiped about the castle with the other women. She did not, however, mention anything of the king and queen other than to say," Their Majesties are very happy together still." Aurora also didn't speak of her mother, or what she had seen. She was in deep shock and almost didn't believe it herself. 'But I saw it all. And Mommy is a unicorn.' She went over to a large tree and sat down in the shade, thinking about all she had been told. She watched the other children play and gave Molly a smile when she worriedly looked at her.
One of the women noticed it and asked, "Is everything alright with the princess?"
Molly looked startled but answered with a quick and easy lie. "She was feeling a bit ill this morning. The fresh air is helping though."
The ladies smiled and nodded. "She's a tough girl our princess. She takes after her mother. Queen Amalthea really is remarkable to have stayed in these lands. I heard a rumor once that King Haggard tried to push her off a balcony! Can you imagine?"
Molly forced a laugh. "No, I can't imagine anyone wishing to harm her."
Aurora was thinking about her father's reaction to Amalthea's change. 'Is it forever? Will Mommy be a unicorn for the rest of her life? I thought unicorns lived forever. Where are the others?'
"Princess!" A young girl called out, snapping her out of her thought. "You're way too young to look so serious. Come jump rope with us."
She smiled and got up, shaking off the dust and hurried to begin skipping song with the other girls.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Schmendrick and Amalthea spent the day in a meadow, far enough from the village so that no one would recognise the magician. For the sake of protecting his friend, with her permission, he had cast a spell so that even to a believing heart she appeared as a white mare.
"I feel a little silly. I can remember everything of my life before you. I used to get so angry at being mistaken for a horse." She lay quietly on the grass, watching the magician as he paced back and forth. He chuckled and smiled at her. "I know. Mommy Fortuna used magic to show your true self and now I have to hide it."
Amalthea got up and walked over to her friend, taking his shirt in her teeth and stopping his pacing. "Schmendrick, the tapestry." She trailed off. He looked at her and gently brushed his hand against her mane. He sighed, not wanting to believe what he saw. Things were bad enough with Lir and Amalthea semi at odds with each other and Aurora knew everything. The fire and Amalthea returning to her true form and the sinister image in the tapestry were too much at once.
He looked towards the castle and down at the cave. When the moon rose that night Amalthea's life would be danger if the Bull was really back.
"I think it would be best if you left." She shook her head and gave a cry of distaste. "Your life is in danger."
"And so is my daughter's, and my friend's, and Lir's. Perhaps his life more than any of the others. King Haggard's ghost is probably quite angry. I came here to find the others and now that I've remembered them at last, I can't turn my back on them. If it isn't too late already, I must find a way to free them.
Schmendrick smiled. "I will help you."
(a.n.- Sorry for the lack of update and the shortness of this chapter. I have family over and am going to be going out of town in a few days. I probably won't have my next chapter up until July 27th at the latest. I'm sorry to everyone who's currently reading Regrets for making you guys wait. But have no fear; I'm not going to abandon it. Just put it on the shelf until things have calmed down and I don't have to entertain people. ~Juliet)
