A/N: this is the first chapter in which my Star Wars mania appears, and from now on it will appear on a regular basis. Grin and bear it.
To those (especially dear Anonymous) who submit unsigned reviews and don't give me their email addies: due to ffnet's restrictions, I can't reply to your reviews, so please, just put your email addy into the email address bracket and then you'll get review responses.
Also thanks to: septempopuli, Mousewolf, iccy, PeanutButterOreoCookieGirl, Chixawitch, aperfectattitude, ebtwisty9, Queen Dragon, The Flying Moose, SPG, J. Dawnwolf, Rebel Rose, obsessed4life, an-angel-in-hell, I Am The Krow, refloc, Marissa the Scamp, Epsilon2Delta, The OddBird, Fleury, Chibi Binasu-chan, AutumnBreeze25, AprilEchidna (been missing you!), Fudge1
Oh, and someone (I no longer remember who) asked the name of the Canadian company that wants to exploit the gold reserves in Rumania. I finally found it: Rosia Montana Gold Corporation.
Chapter 10
The Runaway Bride
"…Fiona here is my great-grandmother."
"Tell you what, I'm not a bit surprised," Mulch commented as he and Patrick entered their tent, followed by the dumbstruck Artemis. "I mean, look at her. She's the spitting image of Holly – correction, Holly's the spitting image of her, and she's bold enough to live in a human camp and be friends with humans. At least we know where Holly inherited that from…"
Artemis nodded mutely, incapable of forming coherent sentences. He just dropped himself on the cot and stared at the ground that was covered with thick, warm carpets.
"You know… I think I finally understand that fairy tale," Patrick said all of a sudden, lighting a candle.
"What fairy tale?" Mulch munched on a few worms.
Even Artemis raised his head to look at the boy. "Fairy tale?" he asked.
"Well, apparently more than that." His son shrugged. "Mum used to tell me that it was a tale passed down within the Short family and no one knew its origins, but now I do. This tale is about a fairy princess who was to be married to a fairy prince whom she didn't love and whom she hadn't even met before. She rebelled against the unwanted marriage, fled aboveground and met a human king there. She lived happily in the human king's court for years until she was finally forced to meet her husband-to-be. The prince fell in love with her at first sight. It turned out that only the fairy prince wanted her but the rest of his family did not want this marriage, because the princess had been… so to say, corrupted by the humans. The prince, however, was so much in love that he didn't listen to his family and insisted on marrying the princess. To prevent the marriage, the rest of the prince's family conspired and wanted to have the princess killed. But they failed, because some heroic humans saved her."
"Heroic humans?" Artemis's eyes widened. "You don't mean… us?"
"Who else?" Patrick grinned. "So, the humans and the princess became friends. The rest of the prince's family died in a rather unfortunate way a day after they had sent an assassin at the princess – there was a heavy downpour and the underground brooks overflowed, and made their home collapse upon them. Her human friends persuaded the princess that she'd be happy with the prince if she only gave it a chance, and finally she got married to him and even fell in love with him." Patrick heaved a sigh. "I know, a pretty lame tale, but as a small kid I used to enjoy listening to it. And of course Mum could tell it in a much more exciting way… I was just keeping to the facts."
"The facts?" Artemis raised an eyebrow at him. "So are we supposed to persuade Fiona to marry this… Alexius or who?"
"Apparently we have to… as we already did," Patrick answered.
"Now, wait a minute," Mulch interrupted. "This means that if we hadn't come back in time then Fiona would never have married Alex and Holly would never have been born and you would never have been born, boy? But if you hadn't been born, then how could you have come back and…? Sweet stinkworms, I'm totally confused."
"You're not alone," Artemis murmured. "Can you explain this, Son?"
The boy shook his head. "Not even genii can understand everything… Even I thought that such a thing could not be possible when I read The Prisoner of Azkaban…"
"That Harry Potter book?"
"Yeah. Remember that Harry thought his father had conjured the Patronus that chased the Dementors away… but it had been him, not his father. And then he realised that he could actually conjure a perfect Patronus because he had already seen himself doing it… Don't look at me like that, I'm not mad. I thought that J. K. Rowling was, but… now I no longer think so. Time is a weird thing, that's for sure."
"Weird… and dangerous," Artemis muttered, just to himself. "Better not mess with it…"
"We are not messing with it, Dad," Patrick reasoned. "We just… let things happen and keep our eyes open."
"But how can we know what we must do and what we mustn't if we don't want to change history?" Artemis frowned.
The boy shrugged. "I think as long as we keep great-grandma alive and persuade her to marry great-grandpa, we can do anything we like."
Though Artemis couldn't share his son's optimism, he nodded. "Oh, and Patrick? I trust this Fiona isn't alive in our time, is she?"
"Unfortunately no." Young Short shook his head. "Were she alive, we could return to our time and ask her where Attila was buried… but, as far as I remember, she died twenty-something years before Mum was born."
"Too bad… it would have been most convenient," Mulch commented. "But life's never that easy, eh, boys?"
Suddenly there was a thunderclap so loud that it made the very ground shudder.
"See, the storm's here," Patrick said calmly. "In a few hours Rufus and his parents will be dead, and Alexius will be the only Short left, free to marry Fiona at his will."
Artemis made a grimace. "You know, your stoicism scares me."
"Does it?" The boy arched at eyebrow at his father. "I thought I inherited that from you."
"And that you did," Mulch agreed, but his words were barely audible thanks to the second almighty thunderclap. In ten minutes the storm was raging, and it was a wonder that their tent didn't collapse on them.
Well, at least we don't have to worry that Rufus might send other assassins after Fiona, Artemis thought as the rain rattling on the tent's covers lulled him into sleep.
o o o O O O o o o
Cesare Cavalieri's Manor near Kilkenny, eleven p.m., 15th July, 2016
Darkness for three minutes. A flash of light. Darkness for three minutes. A flash of light. Again three minutes of darkness…
Holly kept staring at the clock on the wall, checking and double-checking the time interval between two flashes. The giant searchlight in the garden kept scanning the backside of the building all night, and every three minutes it reached Holly's window.
Three minutes… that wasn't much, but if she was in luck, she could perhaps make it.
Thankfully Emese and her employer (as Holly was sure that Emese wasn't the mastermind behind her kidnapping) had forgotten to install hidden cameras into her room – or perhaps they just thought the room to be safe enough to render cameras superfluous. Foaly or Opal Koboi wouldn't have been so careless, Holly thought with a satisfied smirk.
She wiped her forehead – she hadn't even started her planned escape, and she was sweating already. Well, no wonder, it must have been at least thirty Celsius degrees in the room. The backside of the house looked in the western direction, and it had got sun all afternoon, heating the bricks that were now radiating their heat into the building itself. Naturally, Holly, being a fairy, was more used to hot places than humans so she didn't suffer from the heat. However, if she was right, then the occupants of other rooms must have opened their windows to let the relative coolness of the night air in.
She reached down and tore at her skirt that was still too long to let her move freely. If only she had some scissors or a knife… but no, Emese had been careful enough not to leave any possibly dangerous objects around for the 'prisoner' to use. After a few minutes of fervent tugging, the dress gave at the seams and Holly managed to get rid of another eight or nine inches of cloth. Now her skirt was short enough to let her do gymnastics, but it reminded her an awful lot of the white-and-pink dress of Cinderella after her evil stepsisters had torn it to pieces. Oh well, Holly wasn't going to the ball, after all… And if she made it, then at least she'd have something to tell to her little daughter when they are watching Disney's Cinderella together…
At this thought, Holly's lips tucked into a smile. "Everything's going to be all right, my sweet," she whispered to her flat stomach. "Trust Mummy."
Taking a deep breath, Holly opened the window and climbed through it, then shut it as much as she could from the outside.
The searchlight had just left her window, and she stepped out onto the ledge. It was thankfully wide enough to let her move on it, even though she had to flatten her back against the outer wall of the house.
She had never had acrophobia – had she had it, then she wouldn't have been allowed into the LEP; but now she couldn't help feeling insecure. Her heart was hammering in her throat as she sidled to the right, forcing herself not to look down.
There was movement in the garden – presumably the guards patrolling; but Holly decided to ignore them and focus her attention on the ledge and moving deliberately to her right. One step, another… adrenaline rushed through her veins, and despite the seriousness of her situation, she suddenly realised that she was feeling at her element. She had been 'grounded' long enough at Fowl Manor – not that she really minded it – and doing something dangerous for a change felt almost exhilarating. She felt Holly Short again – Captain/Commander Holly Short, the imperturbable 'LEP chick'.
Something that slightly resembled shame clenched at her heart for a second – she wasn't supposed to feel excited about this – she was supposed to fear for the safety of her child instead… But she couldn't help it – old habits die hard, and Holly Short had always been a fairy who craved excitement. Without excitement, her life would have been boring and pointless… It had been utterly boring during the one week of her captivity, but now it was everything but boring. I should have tried to escape much earlier, she thought.
Step by step, she got closer and closer to the corner of the house and the last window before the corner was open. However, the searchlight got closer and closer to her too. Its three minute cycle had almost come to an end that meant it would arrive at the window of her 'guest room' and in ten or fifteen seconds it would reach to where she was standing now. And then it would be something short of a wonder if the guards didn't notice her. Her cream-coloured dress was quite easy to see even in the dark, but there was no way she wouldn't be spotted when illuminated by the searchlight. Her dress would stand out from the dark grey walls of the building so much that even the most short-sighted guard would easily spot her.
If only she could reach that open window five feet to the right… and if only she managed to climb in unnoticed… Fat chance, Holly, she told herself.
Never give up, Holly! – The image of her father flashed across her mind. That used to be one of his most favoured sentences… Never give up, Holly.
You're absolutely right, Dad, she thought with sudden determination. Just a few more steps…
The searchlight was coming her way, illuminating the half-closed window of her one-time room, swooping towards her like some whitish-yellow ghost…
Almost there… Just one more step…
Three seconds and the searchlight would reach her…
The windowpanes were wide open – the occupant of the room must have felt just as hot as she had…
Two seconds…
She didn't have time to waste.
With a special move called the 'troll sling' (named after the way the victims fall after a troll throws them), she jumped through the open window, into the completely dark room.
o o o O O O o o o
LEP Headquarters, 9 p.m., 15th July, 2016"What's that stupid grin on your face, eh?" Root grunted upon entering Ops booth.
"Oh, just had a little chat with Opal Koboi." Foaly waved, still grinning.
"Apparently that pixie's developed a liking for contacting you," Root said. "What did she want?"
"The same as always… I mean, the same as she's been asking for a week now: where's her little Mulchie? That chick must think I'm hiding Diggums in one of my pockets… honestly."
"I hope you didn't tell her anything about Diggums's whereabouts…" The commander lit a fungus cigar.
Coughing and trying to dissipate the smoke, the centaur shook his head. "'Course not. I'm not stupid, Julius. The last thing I want is Koboi to know that Arty, Pat and her beloved dwarf went back in time…" A dreamy expression spread on Foaly's face. "You know, ever since Fowl came up with the idea of this time travel, I just can't keep my mind off them… what horrible things could happen to them in the far past… and what horrible things they could bring about, should they… screw something up."
"What would they screw up?" Root rolled his eyes.
"Well, dunno. Stuff. Like… changing history a bit."
"What could they change, honestly?" The commander grunted, blowing a ringlet of smoke towards the centaur.
"Weeeell… if something goes amiss, Attila might even stay alive even though he was supposed to die, and then they went back in time in vain, as there will be no funeral to watch… Not to mention that if Attila stayed alive any longer than he should have, then he might get a chance to conquer the whole of the Roman Empire – something that he might have done, had he not died in 453."
"That would influence Mud Man history only, but not us fairies." Root shrugged. "And personally, I don't care what happens to the Mud People."
"And what if one of Artemis's ancestors was a Roman who would die if Attila managed to conquer the Roman Empire? That would mean Artemis would be never born, and…"
"…and we would have a much more peaceful life, Pony Boy. And now enough of these theories! They are just that – theories! And Fowl has enough sense not to change anything he isn't supposed to change! And if not him, then at least Patrick has enough sense! I don't want to hear you speaking of the devil again, understood?"
"A little nervous, aren't we, Julius?" The centaur sent the elderly elf a cheeky grin.
"First: don't – call – me – Julius, second: should you hear anything about Holly or Fowl, contact me, immediately. Be it in the middle of the night, be it in the middle of a Council meeting."
"All right, all right, got it. You'll be the first to know. Come to think of it, Fowl might already have returned to our time but it's possible that he only wants to contact us once he gets back from Hungary. That might happen any minute…" Foaly glanced at the digital clock on the wall. "After all, they must have arrived to Hungary sometime around noon, it must have taken them two hours to reach that town called Szeged, and they must have left to the past around four p.m. Now if they manage to return to four p.m., then they could be back in Ireland by nine or ten o'clock. Yeah, any minute… if they made it, that is."
"Good." Root nodded. "Then stay here for the night and wait for his call."
"And you? Going somewhere, dear Ju… Commander?" The centaur gave his boss a meaningful glance.
"You know exactly where I'm going," Julius replied, his cheeks turning slightly redder than the average, which was definitely saying something. One would have thought 'Beetroot' couldn't turn redder than he usually did, but that theory was now refuted.
"Oooooh, you mean the date that Wing-commander Vinyáya talked you into when she cornered you in the canteen?" Foaly trilled, fluttering his eyelashes at Root.
"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, Civilian!"
o o o O O O o o o
Cesare Cavalieri's Manor near Kilkenny, eleven p.m., 15th July, 2016
Holly landed on the room's floor with a soft thud.
Someone snorted in the darkness.
Holly's blood froze.
Someone stirred in the darkness.
Holly held her breath.
Another snort came – or was that rather a snore?
Whew. She would have wiped her forehead in relief, had she dared move. But she did not – not yet, at least.
Apparently the occupant of the room must have been fast asleep when she arrived through the window, and the soft thud must have almost awoken them – but just almost.
The figure in the bed moved again, and Holly flattened herself to the floor to stay out of that person's range of vision. The unknown person rolled to its other side and continued sleeping. Their snores were unmistakable, there was no way they could be only pretending to be sleeping…
Holly slowly rose to all fours and glanced at the bed. Her heart missed a beat. Even in the semi-darkness she could easily tell who was sleeping there: Cesare Cavalieri.
You low-down son of a gangster, Holly felt like screaming. It was you all the time! You were behind this whole kidnapping! You had Emese on a leash! That's how she found out about Artemis's leaving for Hungary… you were the spy at Fowl Manor. Her hands clenched into fists. She had been working for this monster for months! Her own employer had been planning her kidnap for who knows how long! Oh, poor Mr Fowl, how disappointed he'll be when he finds out that his best friend is a traitor! Artemis had been right all along not to trust this Italian scum, this excuse of an archaeologist! Now wait a minute! Oooooh… I finally get it. Attila's grave. He's seeking Attila's grave because he's an archaeologist. Bravo Holly, you've put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together. Now all you have to do it get out of this d'Arvitting house!
Slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, Holly crawled to the door. Luckily, it wasn't protected by a safety mechanism like the door of Artemis's room, and there was no alarm that could go off if she didn't punch in a proper code. It was a plain old door, probably made in the eighteenth century. If Cavalieri wasn't a paranoiac person, he might not even have locked it with a key.
Casting a glance in the bed's direction and making sure that the Italian man was still in dreamland, Holly rose to her feet and pushed the handle.
Hah! Not paranoid at all!
The door opened easily and noiselessly, which was quite remarkable for a door of this size and age.
Holly stuck her head out to check the corridor for possibly patrolling guards. There were none patrolling – only those two standing like a pair of statues at the very end of the corridor. The two who were guarding her door. She could see them easily, as this end of the corridor was dark but the other end was illuminated by a few lamps. Very likely Cavalieri had instructed the guards to use as little light as possible, and since the only guards needed for guarding a door in this corridor were the two at the other end, no lights were needed around Cavalieri's door. Well, at least his parsimony had some use for Holly: she could blend into the darkness and leave the room without 'her guards' noticing. She seriously hoped that her cream coloured dress wouldn't give her away. For a second it flashed across her mind that it would be much more convenient if human brides got married in black instead of white – then she'd have a more suitable-for-escaping and more resistant-to-smudges dress.
With a final glance at the dozing archaeologist, Holly slid out the door and gently closed it behind her.
The guards at the other end of the corridor seemed to take no heed of the movement at this end.
Pressing her back to the wall, Holly crept towards the staircase.
o o o O O O o o o
Krimhilda's tent, Attila's camp, 13th April, 453. A.D.
"I'm listening, milady." Detre, the king's German counsellor bowed slightly before the queen. "What is thy bidding?"
"You know exactly what I want, Detre, and it's the same you want," Krimhilda replied with a haughty smile. "And that makes you my perfect accomplice."
"Accomplice? In what exactly, milady?" Detre raised an eyebrow at the woman.
"Getting rid of Csaba, of course," she replied with an angelic expression. "You too want to see Attila's kingdom in German hands after his death, don't you?"
The man merely bowed.
"Good. You know that the only way it's possible is to make my son the heir to Attila's throne. Once Attila dies and Aladár is crowned, he can offer his land to the German king, and then this land will be in German hands – where it rightfully belongs. I'm sure the king will let Aladár remain the ruler of Pannonia if I ask him to… After all, I've always been his favourite daughter."
"That sounds marvellous, milady." Detre grinned. "But do tell, how are you planning to get rid of Prince Csaba?"
"Get him killed." She shrugged. "Any of my faithful servants would be willing to do me the favour…"
"But… but… milady, wouldn't it be suspicious? I mean… you and the Germans would be the first suspects… Everyone knows that you and Prince Aladár are the ones who could profit the most from Csaba's death!"
An evil smile spread on Krimhilda's face, making her resemble a beautiful but extremely venomous snake. "Then all we have to do is to frame someone else… Say… that Artemis Faulus."
o o o O O O o o o
Cesare Cavalieri's Manor near Kilkenny, eleven p.m., 15th July, 2016
Holly started running down the marble stairs, but after only three steps, she halted, frozen with terror. Even though she wasn't wearing high heels (Juliet had wanted to talk her into wearing those abominations, but Holly couldn't be persuaded), the sole of her shoes made a pattering sound that echoed throughout the staircase.
D'Arvit! – she swore. As an LEP fairy, she should have thought about this! How could she be so careless?
Not moving for several seconds, she listened and waited. There was no movement – the guards at the end of the corridor must have thought that Miss Emese or another guard was walking downstairs and did not budge from their post.
You're losing your touch, Holly, she scolded herself, bending to pull her shoes off. The marble was cold, so she had to tread on it quickly and get out of the building soon if she didn't want to catch a cold.
It took Holly minutes to reach the ground-floor, and hiding behind the statue of a Roman woman (that looked haughty and jewel-covered enough to be the wife of a senator), she peeked out into the entrance hall. Everything was silent and dark and peaceful, not a single living being in sight.
Straining her eyes, Holly tried to spot possible cameras, but it was too dark to notice them, even if they were there. Well, even if there were cameras, hopefully they weren't working in infrared mode… and if Cavalieri was so careless not to lock the door of his own room, then presumably he would be careless enough not to equip his entrance hall with motion sensors. Setting off an invisible alarm was Holly's worst nightmare, not to mention that if it happened and someone at the LEP found out about it, Her Commandership would become a laughing stock. Not that she ever planned on telling her escapades as a human to any fairy but Patrick, Julius and Foaly…
Carefully, she crept across the hall. Cavalieri must have had a passion for Roman – or fake-Roman – statues, as the entrance door too was flanked by two of these marble wonders. One of the statues seemed to depict a girl in a bath (at least she must have been bathing, given the fact that she was half-naked and was clutching something that resembled a towel), and a young man in armour looking as pompous and self-assured as though he owned the universe.
Reminding herself that this was no time for observations, Holly glanced out the nearest window.
No one seemed to be moving outside. Apparently Cavalieri – or Emese – had instructed all the guards to patrol along the backside of the building – as Holly had expected (or rather hoped). But, of course, this could easily be a trap. There could be guards hiding in the surrounding bushes, their guns pointed at the door, and they would fire at anyone who dared exit at such an ungodly hour…
But there was no backing out now. I've come this far… Her heart was again hammering in her throat. Pull yourself together, Holly! For your own sake, and for that of Artemis and your children!
Just thinking of the new life growing inside of her calmed her. Taking a deep breath, Holly put her shoes back on, then reached for the handle and pushed it. The heavy oak door opened slowly, unwillingly, as though it were some old, retired soldier who would get mad at anyone who dared disturb his well-deserved rest.
In a second Holly was outside, hurtling towards the shrubbery. In a flash of cream-and-white dress, she disappeared behind the nearest bush.
o o o O O O o o o
The Gobbling Goblin, Lower Elements, eleven p.m., 15th July, 2016
"You look concerned, Julius," Wing-Commander Vinyáya perceived, her huge, black eyes boring into Root's murky brown ones.
"Concerned? What makes you think that, Annie?" Root faked a smile, knowing that anyone could see that his smile was anything but genuine, not to mention that Annie Vinyáya was definitely one of the most perceptive women belowground.
"You've been like that for a week…"
"I had no idea you were paying so much attention to me…" Root willed himself not to blush.
"Of course I was paying attention to you." Vinyáya reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're a good commander, Julius, someone who cannot be distracted by anything… and yet, here you are, completely distracted."
"And you're surprised? You're the greatest distraction under the face of earth, Wing-Commander."
"Are you romancing me, Julius?" She raised an eyebrow at him with a challenging look.
"I wouldn't dream of it…" Root smiled embarrassedly.
"So, the only reason you agreed to have dinner with me was because I asked," she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "You would never have asked me out, right, Commander?"
Root was beginning to feel more and more insecure by the moment. "You know… you know that's not true, Annie… it's just that… that I'm under great pressure."
"Great pressure that you refuse to tell me about," she said sharply.
Root heaved a sigh. "If I could, I would tell you about it… but I can't."
"Family problems?" she asked with a compassionate expression.
"I would say that," Julius replied. And well, he wasn't even lying: he considered Holly as his daughter, and her disappearance was a family problem.
"Well… should you think I could help, don't hesitate to tell me," Vinyáya said with an encouraging smile. "Oh, see, our dinner's coming!"
"At last," Julius sighed, relieved that this unpleasant conversation was over, at least for a while.
The waiter gnome placed a plate full of Atlantean fire crabs before Vinyáya, and Spaghetti ala Frond before Root.
Picking up his fork and spoon, Julius glanced at his watch. It was past eleven o'clock. And Foaly still hadn't notified him of Fowl's arrival. Something must have gone amiss…
o o o O O O o o o
The park of Cesare Cavalieri's Manor, shortly past eleven p.m., 15th July, 2016
Holly crept from bush to bush, from tree to tree, distancing herself from the building as much as possible. In five minutes she was at least two hundred feet from the house and at this point any guard who happened to wander in front of the house and spot her might have mistaken her for a ghost in her white dress.
Luckily not a single guard appeared in front of the building, and Holly wasn't even looking back anymore. She ran parallel to the alley that stretched between the building and the country road that ran perpendicular to the alley. If only she could reach that road and get a lift… possibly before her captors noticed that she'd escaped…
She was thankful to Cavalieri's gardeners for having planted several bushes alongside the alley, as the shrubbery gave her a chance to leave the manor's area unnoticed. Had she been held captive at Fowl Manor and had she had to escape the same way, she very likely would have been spotted sooner or later, as the alley that stretched between Fowl Manor and the nearest country rode consisted of hornbeam trees only, with not a single bush in sight.
After another ten minutes, Holly reached the end of the alley. She glanced back in the direction of the house and was relieved to see no movement. Her escape hadn't yet been discovered, then. Now all she had to do was hitchhike and hope that the person willing to give her a lift was decent enough. The last thing she felt like dealing with was a possibly sex-starved male who mistook her for a prostitute.
Holly had always liked moonlight, and tonight the moon was shining brightly. By merely looking at it, she got nostalgic. How she had loved venturing to the surface just to marvel a bit at moonlight… How many times her father had taken her on aboveground trips… He had loved the aboveground world a lot too – allegedly he had inherited his love for it from his mother and passed it down to his daughter. Holly had never known her grandma, but her father had told her several tales about 'the great Fiona'. According to her father, Fiona was the most wonderful elf woman, perhaps save for his wife, Iris.
Holly suppressed a sigh. What would she have given to have a chance to know either her mother or grandmother! But no. That was something Fate had denied her. Having had no female role-model, she had had doubts about raising a child when she'd agreed to donate an egg for The Project. Sometimes she still wondered whether she was a good enough mother… and now that this baby was on the way, she couldn't help wondering if she was up to being mother to two when most of the time she felt she couldn't even handle one. Well, Patrick was definitely a handful, but what could she expect of the son of Fowl?
With a smile, she rubbed her belly. Would this baby look like her or like Artemis? Or a mixture of the two? Would she be born with pointy ears to scare Grandma Angeline to death?
Holly got shaken out of her daydreaming by a pair of lights in the distance. Obviously the headlights of a car.
There were tall lamps on each side of the road at fifty-metre-intervals, and Holly rushed to the nearest lamp to be as visible to the car's driver as possible, and held out her hand with her thumb up.
The car swept past her as though its driver hadn't even seen her.
D'Arvit, she fumed. Of course, she had been too naive to think that the first car would pick her up…
In the next ten minutes two other cars turned up and swept past her without paying her any attention.
Holly was getting really nervous. With every passing minute grew the chance that people at the manor would notice her absence and the first place they'd look for her was the road.
After another seven minutes, a funny-looking car loomed out of the darkness. It didn't look much like a car, rather like a spaceship of some kind, only rolling on wheels. It was a cabriolet with its roof folded back, and several strangely dressed people were poking out of it.
The car slowed down and halted next to Holly.
"What, hitchhiking without a towel, dearie?" one of the men in the car – who funnily resembled Chewbacca – called out to her.
"Reciting the Hitchhiker's guide when going to The Annual Meeting of the Irish Star Wars Fans is nothing short of a blasphemy," another man replied in a half-scolding, half-joking tone. "Sorry, miss, Jerry's like that, one has to get used to him. He always forgets what kind of behaviour is expected in different fan clubs. Why, last time he started to laud Star Wars in a circle of Trekkies…"
"Not that you don't like Star Trek too, Doug," the man named Jerry (who, Holly was absolutely sure now, was wearing a Chewbacca costume), replied to Doug, who appeared to be dressed up as a Jedi.
"What the Sith are you doing here at the back of beyond at such an unholy hour, miss?" a third man – the driver of the 'spaceship/shuttle/whatever' asked. He was sporting a white shirt with black leather pants and vest. Holly guessed he was supposed to be Han Solo.
"Well…" She realised that she hadn't yet come up with a plausible story. "Well, see, I ran away from my wedding…"
"Yeah, we guessed so much," Jerry-Chewbacca replied. "Must have been a rough flight, considering the state of your wedding dress…"
"Yeah." Holly sighed. "It was horrible. I was… I was wrong to accept that man's proposal. He's a lunatic, and… and… dangerous! And that's something I only realised after we said the I do's." She opened her arms theatrically. "I had no other choice but to flee. To save myself and my child-to-be-born."
"Oooooh… That's terrible." The 'Jedi' – wearing a honey-coloured, but obviously fake, beard, clasped his hands. "Having a madman for a husband, while pregnant with his child… tsk-tsk…"
"Yeah, isn't it, General Kenobi?" Holly said dejectedly.
The 'Jedi' grinned at her. "Hop into the shuttle, Padmé, dear."
"Padmé?" 'Han Solo' glanced at Holly over his shoulder. "I'd rather say she resembles Mara Jade with her red hair…"
"Mara Jade? Who's that?" Holly asked, slipping onto the seat next to 'Obi-Wan'.
"Who? The sexiest and most interesting female character in the whole EU!"
"EU?" Holly was getting more and more confused. Not that she hadn't seen the Star Wars movies, but she wasn't into them this much… "You mean, European Union?"
"Nah, he means Extended Universe." Jerry waved as the driver started the engines and the car accelerated. "Extended Universe contains not only the movies but all the sequel books as well. Mara Jade is a character in the sequel books. When she first appears, she wants to murder Luke Skywalker, then she marries him. By the way, be careful with such assertions, Nate, old boy. I bet Luke won't be happy to hear you're hitting on his wife…"
"Why, I was only telling the truth, Mara kicks ass," the driver replied.
For a few minutes Holly listened to the three Star Wars fans' bantering about 'who's the hottest female in the Galaxy Far Far Away', but after a while, she gave up. As Doug started to analyse Princess Leia's bun-like hairdo, Holly's head lolled over Jerry's shoulder. The man's shoulder was covered with what looked like Wookiee-fur that felt wonderfully soft. She couldn't even have wished for a better cushion. Had she not been so tired, she would probably have asked Jerry whether he didn't feel hot in the furry costume, but before she could have made her lips to form that question, she fell asleep.
o o o O O O o o o
A/N: I will try to update once more before Christmas, but if I don't manage, then I'm wishing you all a very merry Christmas! (my two A/H Xmas pics are still linked into my ffnet bio, if you haven't seen them yet, look at them now :) And review, as a pre-Christmas gift ;)