A/N I have some apologising to do, don't I? This didn't actually take me very long to write. The editing took the both of us about 5 times as long as this chapter took to write, and then I'm afraid I had it finished and sitting on my computer for close on a month. *Blush* Yes, it was finished and I forgot to post. But the next chapter isn't going to be written by me, so if you review nicely then it might be up relatively soon! And if that subtle hinting wasn't enough, I promise I'll get my act together for my next chapter. So that's basically it. Please r/r!
~Stef / A Rose By Any Other Name
A forest was no place for a dragon, especially one such as Belvio. The endless trees had worn heavily upon the young dragon, having a claustrophobic effect. Teamed with the impending danger his friends were in, his mounting panic only made things worse.
Hindered by the uneven ground, Belvio wished desperately for open air to fly. He sped in a sort of leaping run, using his wings. It made a rather odd sight, but it did make him go faster. If he had a human face, he would be frowning. As it was, his eyes held a look of deep concentration, fear, and worry for his princess and her friends. Remanan had said they needed Avendascura. That was a flower, he remembered from old lessons, and it grew… near water? Yes, beside lakes or pools; it didn't like running water. Fair enough. He would find a pool, pick some flowers, and then get back as fast as he could.
He passed two rivers and three streams in the next hour, though time went slowly for him. However he could find neither lake nor pool. Belvio, being a young dragon, was in full panic mode now. He became distracted, and almost ran into a young sapling. Snorting in surprise, a jet of fire blazed from his nostrils, setting the tree alight. Yelping, he ran back to find the river so he could put it out before the whole forest caught fire. Daystar's parents would kill him if they found out he had set a tree on fire. He spun around, searching frantically for a river he had passed earlier. Glimpsing (water) ahead, he ran to it, jumped into the (water), and then came back out dripping, water caught between his scales. The tree was well ablaze by now, so he had no chance of missing it.
Standing bravely, and probably foolishly, directly under the tree, Belvio shook like a giant dog. Water went everywhere, and the fire was out within a minute. Belvio sighed in relief, and then curled himself around the now-blackened-but-alive sapling for a brief rest. He noticed a feather on his claw, and scraped it off. There were two more on his other front claw… both of them white swan's feathers. He chuckled. Dragons were immune to these petty magics, and enchanted pools couldn't deal with dragons.
Belvio froze. A pool! Surely flowers grew by pools – and why not the Avendascura? He jumped up from around his sapling, accidentally knocking off a couple of its leaves, and ran back in the direction of the pool. The sun was setting. It's light reflected off the face of the pool, casting silvery forms on the flowers spread around the lake. There were thousands of them. They were all different colours, all had different shaped petals and leaves, and Belvio knew, with a sinking heart, that they could not all be Avendascura. It would take hours to sort them out. Hours that he simply did not have. He said a particularly nasty word.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, many miles from the young dragon and his friends, Cimorene, Mendanbar, Morwen, Telemain, and Kazul were staring at a brown patch in the forest that encompassed half a square mile of dead moss and fallen trees. Small animals also littered the ground, seemingly unharmed, but dead nonetheless. Squirrels lay lifeless on the dead moss, tiny babies beside mothers, and small lizards lay on the ground next to the tree trunks they had been climbing.
"What's happening?" Cimorene whispered, "It's never been this bad before. What about your spell, Telemain?"
"The incantation produced to surcease endeavours of this magnitude subsists in functioning…" Telemain said worriedly. "Barren localities ought not to exist within the peripheries of the forest."
"Well this one does," Morwen said flatly, "and I don't think the Guardians have come fifty years too late. I think they're right on time."
"Do you think they're Shera and Gavin? You're quite sure, Kazul, that it's not only one Guardian?" Cimorene asked.
"One can't be completely certain of anything," Kazul replied dryly. "But that's what it appears to be. However, we will never find out until the peril and the Guardians reveal themselves."
"I hope it happens soon," Mendanbar said. "I don't know how much more of this the forest can take."
~*~*~
"Dragon magic, dragon magic, dragon magic," Belvio muttered. "What's a spell that'll tell me which one's which? Oh, I wish I'd paid more attention in class!" Belvio realised that he wasn't going to remember anything in a hurry, especially under all this stress. He would have to make one up, and hope it worked. "Okay, let's see… Avendascura, I know you're here… Wherever you are, make yourself clear!"
An ominous rustle stirred amongst the flowers. Belvio peered anxiously... most things near Enchanted Pools were not good. They generally had powerful magic to protect the pool, or very powerful objects near them. The movement stopped. Tail twitching nervously, the young dragon thought of all the hideous beasts that might be lurking beneath the lake's surface, quite forgetting that few creatures would trifle with a dragon. Then, quicker than his eyes could catch, a small dark form, leapt out of the underbrush. It landed in the shadows where Belvio could barely make out its shape. Heart leaping in his chest, he approached its still form. When a shaft of sunlight broke through the dim forest, Belvio gasped. Then blinked.... was that a frog? He squinted his eyes... if it was, it was undoubtedly the most ugly frog he had ever seen.
The frog made a sound. It was sort of a cross between a snort and a croak. Belvio assumed it was in relation to his attempt at magic to find the flower.
"Were you laughing at me?" Belvio inquired dangerously. The frog hopped, giving the impression that, if it had had a neck, it would be shaking its head rigorously. It was an ugly mottled green-brown colour. "Good." Belvio told it. "I don't like being laughed at. Do you taste good?"
Again, the violent hopping. "Well, if you know what flower the Avendascura is, show it to me, otherwise I'll have to find out exactly what you taste like." The frog considered him for a moment, and seemed to decide that it was probably better to help Belvio rather than be eaten by him. He hopped three or four paces, and landed in the middle of a patch of purplish-blue flowers with yellow stems and vibrant green leaves.
"This is it?" Belvio asked suspiciously. The frog hopped once, sticking a webbed foot beneath one of the purple-blue flowers. Well, he didn't have a lot of choice. If this wasn't it, he could hopefully run back and try again. It was getting late, and Belvio suspected it was only a couple of hours before midnight.
"Okay, thankyou." He said to the frog. "I hope you gave me the right flower." He began to trot off in the direction of Aerida, when he heard a loud croak and felt a sudden weight on his tail. He whirled once more and saw nothing. There was another croak.
"What is it this time? I'm getting annoyed, so you'd better show yourself unless you want to be cooked!" Suddenly, the frog appeared in front of him. "Was that you?" Belvio inquired, eyes narrowing. The frog's movements seemed to convey a kind of apologetic confirmation. "Well, go back to your pond." The frog hopped violently – 'no'. "You want to come with me?" Belvio asked, slightly amused and slightly annoyed. There was the singular hop, accompanied with a firm croak, 'yes' this time. "Okay, but be quiet, and hold on to my tail tightly. If you fall off, I'm not coming back to rescue you." With that, the frog jumped back on his tail. Sighing, Belvio set off. He travelled at a faster pace now that he knew where he was going. Hopefully, he'd be back soon.
~*~*~
Belvio returned to his friends. They were all apparently unconscious on the floor, the whole scene lit only by the magical moss on the trees surrounding them. The sight was disconcerting. He tried to shake Aerida awake, but she did not stir. Next he tried Remanan, again with no luck. He had the flowers… but what would he do with them? The frog hopped in front of him and croaked urgently, getting in his way. That frog was rapidly becoming very, very annoying.
"I'm busy!" Belvio snapped, on the verge of another hysterical panic. The frog croaked, somehow managing to make it sarcastic, and took one of the flowers (held in Belvio's claws) into his mouth. He hopped back, loosening the flower. After three more hops the flower came away completely, now firmly lodged in the frog's mouth. Then it went over to the nearest person, Remanan, and put the flower on his closed mouth, right under his nose. Next, the frog jumped onto Remanan's face and hopped up and down on the flower, crushing its now dark purple petals. Belvio was about to snatch the frog off and hurl it away when Remanan stirred. His face, greenish in the dim light, took on a better colour, and his eyes opened. He lay, staring up at the trees for a moment, and then suddenly tensed. He sat slowly, looking around, and his face froze in a mask of horror when he saw Aerida and the two other princesses lying. Suddenly, his mind seemed to catch up with the events of the day, and he sighed with relief.
He was grinning as he said, "Belvio! You did it!" The frog croaked, and Remanan's eyes refocused, this time on the small green and brown frog beside him. "Oh dear, you're in a bit of trouble, aren't you? I take it you helped Belvio." He listened as the frog croaked some more. "Right. Right. Ohhh. I see. The others aren't better yet? Oh dear. You'd better get off my chest now" for the frog had moved, "and I'll help the others. Don't worry, we'll try and help you."
Belvio was beginning to get sullen. "I got your flowers and my princess is still not awake! You didn't even say thankyou! I want my princess awake!"
"I'm about to wake her, Belvio. You did a really good job. Thanks." He took the petals from his face, and crushed them further between his fingers before placing them tenderly under Aerida's nose. She stirred, and he wafted more of the flower's fragrance until her own eyes opened.
"Thankyou," she said softly. He smiled a strange smile as he said,
"It was Belvio, really. I need to help the others… are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she whispered. "Help them."
He took another flower and dealt with Shera and Shiara carefully, awaking them. Once everyone was sitting, de-poisoned, and had thanked Belvio, he introduced the frog. "Everyone, this in Prince Jinx. He's… in a bit of a state. I think we had better wait until midnight, and let him explain himself.
~*~*~
The oddly-mismatched group of princesses, dragon, magician, and frog were sitting around a fire that Belvio had obligingly lit for them. It was only a couple of minutes off midnight.
"He's not really a frog," Remanan explained. "He's a prince, but even enchanted, he's not a frog. But I'll let Prince Jinx explain himself, I think. It's only a few minutes off midnight."
"Why is midnight important?" questioned Aerida.
"He turns human on midnight every full moon," Remanan explained, smiling at her. "And as tonight's a full moon…" he shrugged.
"Why can you understand him?" Shiara asked curiously.
Remanan pulled a face. "There are lots of different types of magicians. The type that uses staffs are wizards, just to give you an example. Most of the others just come under the heading 'magician,' but they can still be very different. I'm a type that can understand animals. Well, not many, but some. My three (we all have three, you see) are frogs, chickens, and parrots. Not really very useful, but now you have it."
The group laughed, and then the frog was replaced suddenly by a man. A slightly short man, with messy brown hair, ears that stuck out, and feet too large for his body. He spread his hands in front of him, clenching them into fists and unclenching them, straightening his fingers, and rolling his neck. A smile grew on his face. Satisfied, he gazed around at his new-found companions, and posed a courtly bow.
"Crown Prince Fred Jinx at thy disposal, madams, sir, and great dragon."
"Pleased to meet you," chorused Shera and Aerida, and then grinned at one another. Apparently, all princesses had the same courtly manners drilled into them.
"So why're you a frog?" Shiara asked, coming straight to the point. "Did you fall into an enchanted pool?"
"My story is long and convoluted. Methinks it might bore some of thee in its entirety. It will take much time to tell all."
"Tell us," Shiara said firmly.
"Very well. I shall begin my tale." He settled down into the familiar pose of one who was about to do a great amount of storytelling. "At the innocent age of eighteen, my parents sent from my home to find a wife. They had but few guidelines – she had to be either rich or able to do strong magic. Dost thou understand the need for a future queen to have power?" he directed his question to Shera, who nodded uncomfortably. "Beauty and refinement were also a trait of necessity. A wife of mine must be tactful, with good culinary skills, and able to sew, dance, and entertain. These are all of the utmost necessity, thou dost agree, surely?" he again directed his question to Shera, and she nodded once more, feeling even more uncomfortable. Who was this guy? "My wife to be ought also to have diplomacy – overall, she needed just the qualities that makes any average woman, such as thy beautiful self, I'm sure," he said, once more to Shera.
Shera, Shiara, and Aerida exchanged looks. Shera felt slightly nauseous. Jinx continued on, not noticing their apparent shock and Shera's discomfort, "And so I travelled throughout my kingdom, sparing not a house, deeming not one of the nobles' daughters worthy of myself." Remanan's face was so carefully controlled that Aerida had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She didn't think it would be prudent under the circumstances to giggle. "Unlike thy fair self, I'm sure," he added to Shera. She turned slightly green. "Far and wide I travelled on my noble quest, but never could I find one adequate. At last, after months of searching in vain, I found the most beautiful girl I had ever before laid eyes on. Her hair was gold as sunlight, her eyes blue as sapphires, her lips as red as-"
"I think we get the picture," Shiara said dryly. And then, in an undertone to Shera, "He wanted Cinderella."
"Oh." He considered Shiara's first statement, thankfully not hearing her second. "Of course. Be that as it may, the object of my desire is the daughter of a most evil hag, ugly as she is evil," he said this as if the adjectives were synonymous, "who, for reasons unfathomable, did not want her daughter to be my betrothed. When I persisted in winning her daughter's heart, she cursed me to be the first ever male banshee, and doomed me to wander the earth until I found the cure to her evil curse. The very next night, as I am sitting, bemoaning my fate, a vampire swoops down and bites me! Startled and shocked, I wander, driven by bloodlust in search of a victim. Alas, for in my range I find a werewolf, and it bites me before I can drain it of its blood. Canst thou see my predicament? 'Twas a wretched thing fate had thrust on me, and yet, she sees fit to bestow more horror unlike thy innocent ears have ever harked upon,"
Shera's look of concern was very forced.
"Part banshee, part vampire, and part werewolf, my human side nevertheless forced me to continue with my quest to find the cure to all my ailments. I unwittingly stumble into the Enchanted Forest and, nearly dead from thirst and hunger, I find myself at a beautiful pool surrounded by flowers.
"I drink, as any man in my place would, but, to my complete horror, 'tis an enchanted pool, designed to turn the drinker into a swan! However, the pool had never before encountered one so misfortunate as I, and its magic misfired. Instead, it turned me into a frog, and thus I become human but when the moon is full and the time is midnight. I pondered long and hard on my misfortune, seeking the answer to my curse as I was trapped in my frog form. At last, it came to me. The solution to all my problems! I had to find either a magician, or my true love! I feel that I now have done both!"
Shera didn't know whether to laugh or cry. At last, she ventured, "You think the hag's daughter is your true love?"
"No!" The prince gasped. "Canst thou not see that thou art the object of my affections? Surely thou hast understood that we are meant to be?"
"Um…" Shera said. "Not… not really."
"Well, thou shalt soon find out! I have but half an hour left before my form returns no that of a frog. Shall we find a way to fill the time?"
He was trying to seduce her, but failing miserably.
"Uh…" Shera said, trying to think of something to get her away from this creature.
"She already has a boyfriend," Shiara said quickly.
"Where is this man? This rogue? This rude shade?" Jinx enquired coolly. "No worthy man ought leave such a fair damsel alone in these forests."
"I've got a dragon, two princesses, and a magician to look after me! On top of that I can do some self-defence magic! I don't need protection!"
"Yeah," Aerida "And he's on a very important quest of his own."
"And what is this quest?" Jinx asked, now looking peeved.
"We… we can't tell you!"
"And what's this mystery man's name?" Jinx asked, forgetting his old-fashioned tones in his annoyance.
"It's… it's… Gavin! Prince Gavin!" Aerida said, shooting an apologetic glance at Shera.
"Now if you don't mind, my private life has been discussed enough," Shera said wryly, rolling her eyes at Aerida. "Remanan, do you think you could do anything for Prince Jinx here?"
"I can give him some advice, at least," Remanan spoke up, a slight smile on his face. "He needs a kiss from a female banshee to cure part of his curse, and I suspect that enchanted healing water will help with your frog problem. As to the rest, I'm afraid that I don't know."
"And where dost thou think that I can find such things?" asked the vambanwerefrog coolly.
"I don't know," Remanan smiled. "The enchanted water Prince Daystar might be willing to help with when he and Gavin return, and I believe that their majesties might know of the whereabouts of the local banshees."
"I don't want him following us around," Aerida muttered.
On cue, and again apparently without hearing, Jinx said, "May I then assist you on your quest until I once again become human?"
"You will have to ask the others," Remanan told him. "I'm just along for the ride."
"I guess so," Belvio said, not grasping that the princesses didn't want him to.
"That's my vote, too, then. Belvio's my dragon," Aerida said.
"If you have to," Shiara grumbled. "I guess I'd feel bad if we just left you here by yourself."
Jinx looked affronted, but said nothing.
"Yeah, you can come," Shera sighed, "But only if I don't have to kiss you. I don't think true love's going to reverse your problem, and, quite frankly, I don't think I'm your true love, either. If I am, my drunken fairy godmother has a lot of explaining to do."
"That's settled, then," Shiara said, "We'll leave in the morning. I suggest we get to sleep."
When they woke up the next day, Jinx was once more a frog. Close up, they could see that he had long, sharp teeth, and the brown patches were fuzzy. He was, indeed, a vambanwerefrog. The group got ready to go, and pretty soon camp was packed and moving. Jinx was settled on top of Remanan's bag, and the magician himself was teaching the rest of the group bright light spells in case they were attacked by imps again.
The princesses caught on fast. Shiara wasn't doing to well, and she insisted that it was because any form of magic except fire magic was nearly impossible for a fire witch. Finally, she just gave up, saying that she could always chuck very bright fire at the demons, to which Remanan had to agree. After, all, it had worked well enough last time for Belvio.
Shera was practising the bright light spell, sending it out at the trees ahead of them as she walked. Suddenly, a particularly leafy tree emitted a loud squeal as the beam of light hit it. The group stopped immediately in its tracks. Then the rustling started.
The leaves in all the trees surrounding them began to move, as if in a gentle breeze. The movements quickened; the would-be breeze intensified. The leaves moved in a frenzy, and then, suddenly, out of the trees burst hundreds of demons.
A quick glance around told Remanan all that he needed to know. They were completely surrounding in a wide, rapidly tightening, circle. The others realised at the same time he did, and almost before he knew it they were arranged in a tight circle, backs to one another, facing outwards. Jinx had hidden himself inside Remanan's bag, and Belvio was scowling at the demons. Shera looked grim but determined. Aerida's face was whiter than he had ever seen it, even when under the imps' poison, but she had a determined gleam in her eyes. Shiara was just pissed off. As the dragon leapt at the demons with a murderous look in his eyes, Shera and Aerida began shouting the light spell they had just mastered. Shiara's hands became flame-throwers, frying everything that came in front of her. Remanan threw fire and light from both of his hands, and then demons died by the dozen. Still they came on, swarms of them, caring nothing for the painful fates of those who had gone before them.
And then Remanan spotted the black monster seated in a hovering throne six feet behind the ring of demons. He knew exactly what it was. The sinking pit in his stomach told him what his brain already knew. The king of demons did not come to watch a battle unless he was certain of its success. With a hoarse shout, Remanan began shooting light and fire spells anew at the oncoming demons. He would not go down peacefully. If he had to go down, he would take out more demons that he could possibly count before surrendering his friends, or himself to the demon king.
A/N Like it? Dislike it? Have comments? Ideas? Well, you know what to do! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the last chapters… we really, really appreciate each review!