Chapter 6: Answers in the Archives
"Here we are." Bismuth announced after the fairies had fluttered for about a mile and a half until they arrived at a fortress-like building.
"Uh, what exactly is this place?" Steven asked.
"This is the Evergrowing Archives Vault." the brawny fairy explained. "It holds texts, scrolls, books, you name it."
"Even maps?" Lapis hoped.
"Yep, even maps." answered Bismuth.
"How come the Archives haven't been trashed by the ogres and trolls yet?" Ruby inquired.
"Trolls and ogres are too stupid to learn how to read anything." the rainbow-haired fairy told her. "They don't even know that this place exists."
She opened the giant door and the group of eleven entered the massive vault. On the inside, there were bookshelves stacked with scrolls and books in all different sizes and colors. It was absolutely breath-taking.
"I've never seen so many books and scrolls in one place." Prince Jamie said in awe.
"Me neither." Princess Lapis replied. "And I've seen one of the biggest collections of books in your royal library."
"This place is huge!" Peridot exclaimed, her eyes widening as large as saucers. "How are we supposed to find what we're looking for in all this?"
"We'll have to divide up the workload." the fairy princess proposed. "Everybody split up and grab as many maps as your arms can carry. Let's meet back at this spot to sort through the horde."
Everyone went off in different directions to cover as much of the Archives as they could. The fairies flitted over the really high shelves and Jamie combed over the lower shelves on the rolling ladders attached to the shelves. Unaware to all the others, Lapis saw a pair of metal, gate-like doors open themselves, giving way to an unexplored room. The blue fairy looked up at the top of the door and saw a plaque that read, "Restricted Section." Fearlessly curious as ever, she went into the obscure room without showing a sign of nervousness.
"How are you doing up there?" asked Sapphire who was skimming over a shelf that was a little lower than Pearl.
"Not too well." the pale fairy answered. "I'm not really sure how all these maps and scrolls are organized."
Jamie and the other fairies weren't have as much luck finding any good map either.
Meanwhile in the restricted section, Lapis was fluttering frantically between shelves of all different heights looking for the right map that would help her and her friends on their quest.
"Come on. Come on." she muttered. "I wish the map we're looking for would just come to me."
Just then, the princess heard the sound of a rolled up paper fall to the floor behind her. She flew over to the paper on the floor. And then, she noticed a note that read: This map has the magic to show the way of the place of the owner's heart's deepest desire. I believe that it may help you find what you seek. ~ R.Q.
The young princess hurried to join her husband and friends back at their designated meeting place. While everyone else was carrying an armful of maps, Lapis only had the one map she found held in her fist. All the other fairies were stupefied.
"We thought you'd have more maps on you." Steven said, being the first one to speak.
"I think I found the one map that will guide us on this quest." Lapis replied excitedly as she unfurled the map to show everyone. Unfortunately, the map didn't show anything, no landmarks, no drawn-on compass; nothing. The fairies felt like they were just teased.
"Lapis, it's blank." Peridot told her friend with a deadpan expression on her face.
"What?" Lapis said in disbelief as Prince Jamie joined her side. "I don't understand. It's supposed to guide us to our desired destination. This map is magical. Map, please show us the way to the dwelling of the Elder Guardians."
Almost instantly, images began to draw themselves onto the empty paper. Now it was starting to look like a map. This took everybody off-guard.
"So much for being a blank slate." Stevonnie commented with a smirk.
"It looks from here, we have to cross more of the Western Ocean, go through the Quartzsite Caverns, and that's when we enter the Iridescent Valley." Garnet said, examining the map.
"This is exactly what we need." Pearl declared happily. "Lapis, where did you find this map?"
"In the restricted section." the fairy princess answered.
"You were in the restricted section!?" Bismuth questioned, completely awestruck.
"Yeah, was I not supposed to?" Lapis asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Not everyone is lucky enough to gain access to the restricted section." the burly fairy said to her. "How did you get in?"
"I don't know." the young princess answered. "The doors just opened up for me and I went inside. And the map fell on the floor from a shelf, but I don't what particular shelf. There also was a note attached to it like someone knew we were looking for it."
"Who left it?" inquired Sapphire.
"There was no name." replied Lapis. "Only the initials 'R.Q.'"
"Well now that we've got the right map, let's get going to help save the fairy world." Jamie proclaimed, heroically.
"Hold on." the fairy princess said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We know the place we're going to, but I still have no clue about the Elder Guardians. I don't know who they are, I don't even know what they do."
"What about: The Elder Guardians: Ancient Fairy Protectors?" asked Amethyst as she pulled out a random green book and read the cover.
"Where did you find that book?" Lapis asked, dumbfounded as rushed over to her.
"Under 'E.'" the purple fairy answered. "Duh."
The blue fairy took the book and started flipping the pages.
"During the early days of the reign of the three fairy queens, a group of powerful fairies were brought together help defend the fairy world." Lapis read aloud to everyone else. "The queens appointed them to be the safeguards of fairies and their sacred, magical treasures. The palladium of all fairy kind was their top priority. However, in order to protect the especially powerful trinkets from falling into the wrong hands; they took these treasures and themselves far beyond the world of fairies for safekeeping. Having been around for thousands of years, the protector fairies were later on known as the Elder Guardians."
"One of those treasures has to include the Seven Prism Wand." Stevonnie chimed in.
"Exactly." the fairy princess nodded. "So let's get going."
"Wait a minute." Pearl halted her. "You don't expect us all to fly all the way across the Western Ocean, do you? We'd have to stop and rest between islands everyday."
"She's right, Lapis." Jamie added. "We're going to need some kind of ship."
"Well, this island does have a shipyard." Lapis thought aloud. "I'm sure it has plenty of boats to choose from."
"You know what else this island has?" Amethyst asked rhetorically. "Ogres and trolls!"
"She's got a point there, princess." said Bismuth. "We have to be very careful and smart when it comes to those creatures."
"Right." the fairy princess spoke. "And you're just the fairy to help us with that problem."
"What?!" the other fairies chorused, unable to believe that she still trusted the brawny fairy.