Revenge Of The Black Cloak Society 7
Attention: King's Quest is property of Sierra. Most character names are also from the King's Quest Companion by Peter Spear. Some characters are my creation. This story also takes place after all eight King's Quest games.
Chapter 17: The Wedding Goes Awry
I. Lolotte
Lolotte glared at her fallen foe, and momentarily contemplated stealing Genesta's medallion again. It was a very tempting prize, but right now she needed to make sure she got away with her current prize as well reclaiming what she lost after her 'death'. She knew Genesta would not be attacking her right now.
She turned to looked at all the wedding guests and saw no one was attacking. She knew that one of those individuals wasn't going to attack her, since it was Shadrack. He had left a note for her that she looked at after she had gotten control. He wasn't going to reveal himself, as the note said, but she wondered for a moment why no one was attacking. It then hit her that they didn't want to hurt Rosella. That was something she was going to use to her advantage.
With a snap of her fingers, a yellow scarf appeared, and she directed towards the still shocked Edgar. In an instant, it wrapped around his neck, and he screamed as the transformation began. The screams cause more panic to erupt, and the people started to back away, fleeing from their seats and out of the room. There was no doubt in her mind that the chaos would also bring the guards, but they wouldn't be able to enter.
During all this, she heard a whimper in her mind, and she had no doubt that Rosella's soul was taking all this in and experiencing pain at it all. She was sure that Edgar's transformation caused her greatest foe pain. It was that pain that would help destroy her spirit faster. Once that happened, Lolotte knew her return would be complete.
She then looked on as two individuals started to approach. She wasn't surprised to see who they were, although the one she had only seen in person today. They were King Oberon and King Graham. Both of them had stern looks on their faces, and no doubt wanted to apprehend her. In fact, she was sure Oberon was trying to decide what spell to use when his eyes started to glow as he spoke. "Lolotte, how did you manage to cheat death?"
She then heard King Graham ask another question, one that she was sure he wouldn't like the answer to. "And what have you done to my daughter?" She noticed neither of them were armed but didn't think that would hinder Oberon too much. In the back, she noticed that the bridal party had all rushed there, but some started to advance as well.
A quick glance to her side allowed her to see that the transformation had completed, and she faced the two advancing kings. She laughed and answered both their questions. "I've learned many tricks since you banished me, Oberon. I learned to place a copy of my essence, or what the mortals call a soul, into an object. In due time, I'll take over this form, and Rosella will be no more." She relished the look of shock on Graham's face, and then saw both of them start to advance.
She was ready for that, and launched a bolt of force at them, knocking them both backwards into the group. No doubt some of the guests were knocked down as the two kings ran into them. She also noticed some of the various members of the wedding party advancing, as well as some of the guards. This made her think it was time to head back to Tamir.
She extended a hand towards Edgar, and magically brought him over to her. She then shocked them all when she manifested fairy wings and flew out one of the windows with her captive. It may take her a little time, but she would get to Tamir and her castle. After that, she would try to pick Rosella's mind to find out where she put Pandora's Box. That, she was sure, would not only boost her power, but that of the Black Cloak Society.
II. Queen Valanice
Queen Valanice had run to her husband when the blast had knocked him back. She hoped the blast hadn't hurt him, but there was no telling what that blast had done to him. In fact, she wondered if the fact that Lolotte was now in control of Rosella's body might impact any power that was used.
Once she was to his side, she noticed that Alexander and Cassima had also came to his side. For a moment, Valanice had a flash back to when Alexander had returned to Daventry after being missing for so many years. Just as her husband had been ready to pass on his adventuring cap, he suffered a heart attack. Luckily, Rosella had come back with a cure for him. Now, however, they all asked the same question that was on her mind, although when she asked it, it was, "Graham, are you alright?"
To her horror, when Graham went to respond, he couldn't even get a word out as he grasped at his chest. For Valanice, she was reliving a nightmare from those years ago, but worse. Her husband was dying, and her daughter was possessed. She was about to lose two family members on what was supposed to be one the happiest days of their lives. She quickly grabbed her husband and tried to fight the tears threatening to burst forth.
As if picking up on her distress, Valanice felt a presence over them, and she looked over to see Queen Titania walking over to them. She noticed the concern on the fairy queen's eyes and watched as she knelt down. She then watched as Titania placed a hand over Graham's heart, and a glow started. Before she could ask, she heard her say, "It will be alright. While your husband is mortal, it was most likely his age that, as well as the latent magic in Rosella that allowed the blast to do that. He'll be fine in a bit, but he'll need rest."
Valanice nodded and watched as the pained look on Graham's face slowly faded, only to be replaced by a calm look. She could feel his chest rise and fall, telling her that his breathing was fine. She felt relief knowing that Graham was going to pull through the attack, but now she was worried about Rosella, and how they could save her.
She recalled what had happened to the young lady that had been possessed by Dahlia, and fear that her daughter was lost to her started to overwhelm her. While she had felt that sadness before when they first entered the realm of Eldrich, she knew she had to be strong and not let it overwhelm her now. She could not let this day be made any darker than it already had. She had to fight the evil that was darkening this day.
She got up and turned to face Titania and asked the question that was on her mind. "Queen Titania, we've already had to deal with a possession. Is there any way to save Rosella from dying if we must kill Lolotte in her body?"
She notices a slightly horrified look on Titania's face, but then a calmness replaced it, most likely recalling being told what happened with Dahlia's attack. She was given hope when Titania calmly said, "Depending on the possession, there is a possibility. It depends on how it was done."
Those words meant more to her than anything else that could have been said. Right now, Graham was being spared from death, and now there would be a chance to save Rosella. While it seemed slim right now, it was better in her mind that there was a chance. She kept pace with Titania and asked the question now on her mind. "Can you explain that a little more, since we have to come up with a plan to stop Lolotte." As she asked that, she noticed that besides the bridal party, only two guests had remained behind, that being the King and Queen of Silmaria. She started to wonder if they would have more allies in this battle with the Black Cloak Society.
III. Queen Titania
Titania looked at Valanice and paused for a moment. She knew her son's future mother-in-law wanted to hear something helpful, and she also had a very good point in planning a way to stop Lolotte. She nodded and addressed this issue. "Possession is a very tricky thing, as part of it is based on the intent of the one possessing. It can also depend on how the possession is done."
She looked around the room, noticing the few who didn't flee when Lolotte had surfaced. She noticed the Queen of Silmaria was paying attention to what she was saying, and it made her wonder about the woman. Something about her seemed to remind her of something, but she continued with her explanation. "For example, it can depend on if the possessor already has a physical body or not. That can factor in if they wish to control the one that they are possessing, or passively observe. If they have no physical form, they won't have to maintain control of another form and can use all their power to control the new form." She saw Valanice nod in understanding.
Then she heard the Queen of Silmaria add something she had not expected. "The willpower of the possessed being also plays a factor. The stronger the will the person has, the longer they can fight back, even if the possessor has taken control of the physical body." When she looked at Queen Katrina of Silmaria, she noticed the redhead looking away for a second, when the woman finally said, "I know a little bit since my past spent time in those dark magical groups. I even became a vampire to help them, until my husband came along, and another one of the group betrayed me in the end."
Titania nodded, giving the woman another appraisal before responding, "I thought there was something familiar about you. You had been trying to harness the power of Avoozl. Given the dark chaotic magic those entities thrive on, you might have only succeeded for a moment. Why did you try to tap that dark force for?" While she was thankful that this woman didn't succeed in her darker days, she wanted to be sure she wasn't part of the plans of the Black Cloak Society.
She was relieved when she heard the response. "I wasn't doing it for any group. It was more to prove I had been worthy of being in WIT. Over my years, I learned that was folly, especially after I had died." It was then Titania had realized what had happened. She had heard some things about how that dark order had formed and fallen apart centuries ago in Mordovia. She had also heard Count Tsepish say how someone had asked for his dark gifts in a hope of controlling those dark rituals but hearing how the person wouldn't be able to find them. At least the woman had realized her folly.
Titania then went back to explaining the possession to Valanice. "As Queen Katrina stated, willpower is a factor. That means we may have a good deal of time to break Rosella free, as long as Lolotte doesn't get a boost in power." She started to wonder if there was anything that could complicate things.
It was at that point she heard Genesta say, "Titania." She had almost forgotten that Lolotte had attack her and ran to her side. Luckily, she had already started recovering from the attack. When she got close, she heard Genesta say, "Titania. Lolotte knows that Pandora's Box is located in Tamir. After what happened to Alexander, I had called Rosella to Tamir to find out how secure it could be."
Hearing that bit of information caused Titania to realize how much Lolotte had been up to before she had been defeated. While she had never suspected that box of the old evil fairy, Pandora, was hidden in the place. It shouldn't have surprised her, since every fairy knew the big truth of the land of Tamir. The land was rich in fairy magic, both a mix of good and evil. It made complete sense that the box would have been hidden there somewhere.
She came back to her senses, and said, "Well, that isn't good news. If Lolotte gets it and opens it, she'd become too powerful to contain, let alone defeat. It could even erase Rosella's mind entirely. We are going to need to work quickly to stop her." At the moment, she noticed a scared look crossing everyone's faces, and she was certain it crossed her own as well.
IV. Prince Yvette
Princess Yvette stood listening to everything that had been said about what was going on, especially the news about Pandora's Box being in Tamir. She had never heard Rosella speak about that during their visits, but she never suspected what she heard. She moved forwards to Titania, and said, "Queen Titania, how much danger does Pandora's Box represent? Rosella once told me that parts of Tamir felt evil, even though they weren't near Lolotte's Castle."
She heard Titania speak after she said that. "Yes. It is one of the big secrets of Tamir. In fact, a big secret of the whole continent of Tanalore. You see, Tamir is enchanted to bind very dark, ancient, evil magic. The mountains bind a dark creature that had been linked to the house that is seated in the eastern part of that land. It is also why the evil of Pandora's Box was so well hidden."
Everything about that made sense to Princess Yvette, except for one little detail. "I know this will sound foolish, but I've always heard that only hope was in the box." She looked over the group, hoping that she hadn't heard wrong. By the looks on their faces, she figured she hadn't been the only one who heard that.
She even saw Titania nod as she responded. "It was all part of how we hid what she had done. By instilling that only hope is in the box, and that it should not be lost, even evil doesn't go after it. Only those who truly looked into it, and even knew the history of the fairies would know that the box didn't contain hope, but the darkest demons that Pandora managed to control. It took many to defeat her, and she had only unleashed one of the hundreds she had in the box." She noticed that Titania had shivered slightly as she must have thought about what ever those creatures might be.
She thought about what Lolotte would do now and figured that the evil fairy would most likely make an attempt to get the cursed box again. While it would most likely wipe out Rosella's mind and soul, it might even cause more chaos in the land, if not the world. What they would have to do is somehow remove the evil thing from its current hiding place and move it some place different.
Before anyone else could say anything, Yvette spoke up to Titania. "Your majesty, I'd like to volunteer on helping defeat Lolotte. No doubt, we will need to find and move the box, since Rosella does know where it is. She did allude to it once when she recounted her adventure in Tamir." She hoped she wasn't too forward on that, but she could tell the Queen of the Fairies wasn't going to deny her offer.
She then heard Titania respond to her request. "I do appreciate that, but this is slightly different than when Rosella had gone into Tamir. I feel more magic will be needed than what you could harness." Yvette blinked when she said that, and then realized that while her own family could harness some magic, she hadn't had any training in harnessing magic. If magic was going to be needed, she wasn't going to be much help.
She was surprised when someone spoke up, and she turned to look at who had spoken. It had been the woman who had spoken about possessions, Queen Katrina of Silmaria. "Queen Titania, I offer to help her on this. My magical skills might be helpful in many ways. Besides, I still have some sway with some of the dark creatures." Yvette could see how that could be helpful, and also hoped it was an honest offer of help.
She could see Titania was thinking about it. She figured they would need to get going as quickly as possible. She did figure that Rosella would not share that information, at least not willingly, with Lolotte. Of course, she didn't know how long Lolotte was in control, although she suspected it happened after she met with Rosella last night. Before Titania could say anything, she noticed that Oberon had gotten up and looked like he had something to say regarding this whole situation.
V. King Oberon
King Oberon had finally recovered enough from the blast from Lolotte. It took him longer than he would have preferred. It was obvious that Lolotte had already tapped into the latent magical power he had sensed in the girl. He had a feeling that should they be successful, his future daughter-in-law would be forever changed. It wouldn't be the first time a mortal was turned into a fairy.
He had been listening to everything that was being said while he recovered. He felt they were forgetting something very serious, at least serious to Rosella's family. "Before you head to Tamir, something will need to be done to fortify Rosella's mind. While I am sure Rosella can fight off Lolotte for a while, she will last longer if we can join her mentally. The only problem is that such telepathy needs proximity to work, even amongst our kind."
To his surprise, he heard a dignified voice state, "What about through dreams?" He turned to look at one of the individuals who was being allowed back into the room since the chaos seemed to have ended. He had almost forgotten that one of the guests from Ooga Booga had been the good Dr. Mort Cadaver. He knew of the undead doctor's fascination with the dream realms and knew of his part in the events that stopped Malicia.
He then rubbed his chin and beard considering the idea. While he didn't know much about the dream world, it could be that someone being possessed might be in a dream state while their soul still exists. "Hmm. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain. If it is possible, Mab would know. A shame she couldn't attend the wedding, or we could have asked her."
He watched as Dr. Cadaver nodded and then stated, "I think that shouldn't be a problem. Recently, I've had some of the vampires and other undead who gather thralls come into my office complaining about dreams from thralls, and then losing the link to that thrall. I've discovered a mental link between them and their thralls. It is quite a clever way for the stronger ones to break free. I would imagine that if a possessed soul is in a dream state, Mab would know. I also know for a fact that Queen Valanice knows exactly where Mab's palace is in the dream world, and I can help her get in there again."
He then noticed Queen Valanice approach Dr. Cadaver, saying, "Do you still have the tapestry, Dr. Cadaver?" When he saw the man nod, Valanice then said, "That could be it. I'll go to Mab and ask her help on this matter. I can only imagine she would help since Rosella defeated Malicia. Besides, as Rosella's mother, I might be the best chance we have at getting through to her."
Oberon nodded at that, but then offered some addition information. "Go but be sure to mention to Mab how Rosella sprouted fairy wings. I suspect that Lolotte's possession has somehow awakened something in Rosella. I believe if she survives this, she'll be a bit more fairy now." He noticed the look on Valanice's face, but he held up a hand and said, "It isn't the first time a transformation like this has happened. But I do suggest that you and Dr. Cadaver go now and start the process." He then turned to Princess Yvette and Queen Katrina. "We will transport you to Tamir in a few minutes. Do what you can to hide and secure the box better, as well as come up with some trick to capture Lolotte." He saw them both nod, and a small part of him wondered if Queen Katrina was already thinking about a possible plan. He had heard of her past, and a part of him hoped she wouldn't revert to her evil ways.
From the Author
It has been almost four years since I added to this story. Four years, and I'll be honest, part of it has been because I just wasn't in the mood to continue it. I actually had this planned out within months of the posting of the last chapter, and then I got sidetracked due to a stress headache that lasted for months, and then all the hoopla with Covid, and trying to stabilize working. At least now I finally have this done and posted. I also invite you to check out my YouTube channel for the audio reading of this.