Chapter 11: The Ethereal Swan
In the dryder's nest, Garnet saw the monster had Princess Lapis's cocooned form resting on a silk hammock that was spun between two trees and tucked in under a blanket spun by the dryder. The monster captor was being surprisingly caring towards the sleeping fairy as the dryder pushed her bangs to kiss her forehead and ran her bony fingers through the young princess's hair. She rocked the hammock gently as Lapis slept like how a mother rocks her baby in its cradle.
Garnet knew that she needed a plan to rescue so she racked her brain for a moment. And then, the majenta fairy happened upon an idea. She flew up and shook the tree branches to make it sound like another fairy had just fallen out of the sky to land on a web. This caught the dryder's attention and she parted from the sleeping princess to examine the situation. It was a golden opportunity for Garnet to sneak in and rescue her friend.
Meanwhile, Lapis was deeply asleep in her comfy prison with most of her senses impaired, making her blissfully unaware of the surroundings in the waking world. Unfortunately, the dream that the princess was having was anything but blissful.
She was back in that creepy, empty void again and like before, the sound of a crying baby echoed from the blackness. The young fairy tried to get closer to the sound and soon found herself back in that empty room with the bassinet again.
This time, she reached into the bassinet and pulled the tiny infant that was swaddled in a fuzzy blanket.
"Who's baby are you?" the blue princess wondered as she cradled the blanket bundle in her arms.
Just then, a unfamiliar, soft feminine voice rang through the vacant room calling, "Lapis."
"Who's there?" asked a startled Lapis. "Who said that?"
"You must learn of your future." the voice told her. "You must go to the Moonbeam Lagoon. There you will find the answer you seek."
"Wait, who are you?" the young fairy pleaded as the scenery began to fade away. "Don't go! Tell me you who are!"
Back in the waking world, Garnet had made her way to Lapis, who was still in a very deep sleep. The majenta fairy quickly used her magic to dissolve the web cocoon her friend was encased in, including the silk that gagged her mouth and plugged her ears.
"Lapis!" Garnet said loudly. "Lapis, wake up!"
The young princess's eyes slowly started to open. At first, her vision was a little blurry; however it cleared up in no more than a few seconds. The very first thing she saw was the familiar face of Garnet.
"Garnet?" the blue fairy asked, feeling too sluggish to even stretch. "Boy, am I glad to see you."
"So am I." the majenta fairy replied as the last bit of silk that her friend was trapped in disintegrated. "Now let's get you out of here."
"What's going on here?" the dryder demanded, returning to her nest once she realized that the "trapped fairy" was just a diversion. "How dare you awaken my precious butterfly from her peaceful slumber."
"You have no right to keep my friend on this island." Garnet said to the dryder as she tried to help Lapis stand due to the weakness in her body.
"What do you know?" the monster retaliated. "I am the only one who can provide her with all the love, comfort, and security that she needs to shelter her from the cold weathered evilness of the outside world."
"You don't know me well or long enough to actually love me." the fairy princess spoke out. "And I don't know anything about you except that you want to keep me prisoner on your creepy island forever."
"I'll keep you here with me regardless." the dryder replied as she proceeded towards Lapis and Garnet.
"Time to take to the skies." the majenta fairy declared.
"But Garnet, I can't fly." the young princess told her. "The air on this island is making my wings weak and heavy."
"Then I'll have to carry you." her friend decided.
"Oh no, I couldn't ask for to do that." the blue fairy said, feeling like this was too big of a favor to do.
"But do you trust me enough to let me carry you?" asked Garnet.
"Yes, of course I do." Lapis answered immediately as she was picked up by the majenta fairy and carried bridal style as the younger fairy wrapped her arms around Garnet's neck.
"Good, now hang on tight." Garnet smiled as she took off into the sky, leaving the angry dryder on the the ground and having no way of catching the fairies.
Once they were at the beach of the island where the ship was, Garnet landed and gently set Lapis down on the sand. Then, the majenta fairy used her magic to restore strength to Lapis' body and wings. Her outfit had changed back to normal as well.
"Thank you for saving me." the fairy princess said gratefully. "But how did you know that island was dangerous?"
"It was just a gut feeling I had." Garnet simply answered.
Just then, a sparkle glinted off the beach and when Lapis and Garnet approached the sparkle; she saw that it was a deep red crystal.
"This wasn't here before." the blue fairy said, studying the crystal. "I wonder where it came from."
"We should probably hang on to it." her friend suggested, conjuring a small bag to store the treasure. "It could be important."
The two fairies fluttered back onto the ship to regroup with the rest of their friends. Lots of the fairies embraced Lapis in a group hug.
"Thank goodness, you're okay." Pearl said, feeling relieved.
"I wouldn't be if it wasn't for Garnet." the fairy princess told her.
"It's good to have you back." Prince Jamie said hugging and kissing his wife. "What happened to you while you were on that island?"
"I'll tell about it later." the princess promised. "Right now, I have to go to the Moonbeam Lagoon."
"Where's the Moonbeam Lagoon?" Stevonnie asked.
"On Nightshade Island." Captain Lars answered, examining the map. "That's not far from here. In fact, it's on the route to Crystal Lattice Island."
"But why do you need to go there, Lapis?" Steven asked.
"I keep having this dream about a baby crying and this voice is telling me to go to the Moonbeam Lagoon." the blue fairy explained. "Maybe there's someone there who can tell me the reason for having these baby dreams."
"Well since it is on the way to Crystal Lattice Island, I guess it couldn't hurt to go there." the young pirate captain stated as the ship sailed off.
Two and a half hours later, the ship arrived at a cloudy looking island and an odd and immediate darkness fell over.
"Uh, wasn't it just noon a few seconds ago?" Amethyst asked, her eyes trying to adjust to the newly introduced darkness. "What happened to the sun?"
"Nightshade Island has a special magic that makes it night all the time here, whether it's nighttime outside the island or not." Lars explained to the latter.
"But why does it always have to be dark here?" Ruby inquired.
"The life that lives here can only thrive under the cover of darkness." the captain answered.
"So how are we supposed to find the Moonbeam Lagoon without any light?" questioned Peridot.
"I don't know, but we should go as a group this time; just so nobody gets lost." Lapis proclaimed. "Ruby, Sapphire, Bismuth; you guys wait here with Lars and his crew on the ship and keep an eye out for any trouble."
"Will do." Sapphire agreed.
"Everybody else, come with me." the fairy princess continued as she, her husband, and her oldest fairy friends journeyed into the dark depths of Nightshade Island. "Now let's go find that lagoon."
As the group of eight ventured on, a loud grumbling sound sounded off and startling the group.
"What was that growling sound?" Steven aske fearfully.
"I hope it's not some dangerous wild animal." Lapis said with heightened anxiety.
"Actually Lapis, I think that's your stomach growling." Jamie told her, pointing towards her belly as it gave off another loud gurgle.
"Oh." the fairy princess giggled sheepishly. "I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt more hungry in my entire life."
Suddenly, a fragrant smell grabbed her nose. It was one of the sweetest smells she had ever taken in.
"I think I know how to find the Moonbeam Lagoon." Lapis announced to her group. "Follow that fragrance!"
Everyone followed the smell that the young princess had taken in and that was when the scent led them to a bush of pretty flowers.
"These are moonflowers!" Stevonnie exclaimed. "They only grow at night."
"Hey, doesn't that body of water almost look like a cresent moon?" asked Peridot, raising an eyebrow.
The fairy princess joined the green fairy and true to her words, the body of water near the moonflowers was shaped like a cresent.
"You're right." said Lapis. "So this must be the Moonbeam Lagoon. We made it!"
All of a sudden, there was a swirl of sparkles and moonlit water to reveal the most gorgeous swan anyone had ever seen. She had feathers as white as snow with silver in her wings and gold specks on her crown that resembled a tiara.
Mustering up the little amount of courage she had right now, the fairy princess cleared her throat and spoke. "Hello. I am Lapis Lazuli, princess of the fairies." she curtsied. "And who are you?"
"I am the Ethereal Swan." the beautiful bird said in a relaxing feminine voice. "I am the onlooker of fairy and human dreams. Now, what is it that you seek?"
"I've come to you because I want to know the reason for having this reoccurring dream about a baby." Lapis answered.
The Ethereal Swan ran her wings along the sides of the fairy's belly (which actually felt soothing) and confessed, "My dear, the reason you see a baby in your dream is because very soon, an event will occur that will change your life and the course of fairy history forever."
"What do you mean?" the princess asked.
"What I mean is that you, dear princess Lapis Lazuli are pregnant." the swan responded seriously.
Jamie and the seven fairies gasped in surprise.