The Fairy Without a Talent – Chapter 12

"Oh, thank you so much Terence for bringing over Nora's and my dust. I would have been there myself sooner, but I had a little something off-hand I had to take care of …" Bluebell said to Terence as he handed over the two precious sacks into her hands.

"Really, it's no problem, Bluebell. That's one of our complementary duties as dust fairies," Terence said, checking his list once before he looked back up again in concern. "How's Nora doing? I heard from Tink what happened over in the Winter Woods."

Looking up from where she sat at her writing desk with little Cocoa nestled beneath her feet, Nora heard her sister say, "Yeah, she's fine. Took a scratch, but nothing broken. Clara says she should be back on her wings in a day or so."

Sighing quietly, Nora gazed out at the window as the breeze fluttered past her curtains. 'What does it mean, where was I supposed to go? Why was it not what I thought it was? There has to be something I'm missing here …?' She thought to herself as she looked back down to what she wrote down on the legend she remembered.

"Nora?"

Looking over her shoulder, she absently sat her pencil against her mouth as she heard her sister say, "Nora, are you alright? You seem to have something on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?"

Grinning a little, she sat down her pencil as Cocoa raised his head for her to pet him. "It's nothing really, sis, I just feel like I'm overlooking the legend that Dewey gave us," she said, looking up as her sister flittered over to stand by her desk.

Scanning the words, Bluebell said, "Over thinking is more like it. You've only written a couple of phrases. I haven't really seen this legend for myself, but it sounds to me like you think that is the only way for you to find your talent when you already have it."

Confused, Nora looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like this; you're looking at the glass half-full without so much as a specific goal. What is it that you really want to find?"

"My …" Nora started to say.

"Your talent or your own self?"

"Both, I guess, in retrospect, but I mainly want to find why this quest is so …"

"Important, or confusing for you?" Bluebell asked, holding out the sheet. "It's probably because you feel like you can relate to this, but it sounds like you don't know the full legend."

"To tell you the truth, I think I've only seen or heard about half of it," Nora said, scanning over the words once more. "Lia said she had the part that led to the Crystal Caverns memorized, and Snow cited this passage here which says, "To find the path of right, follow the self-form trail of light. A fork you may find, then take the path to the unique kind."

"I do believe the word is 'find' instead of kind," Bluebell said as Nora looked up curiously.

"How …?"

"She probably knows because I showed her the legend myself," a voice said as River came in through the door with a winter leaf sewn journal under her left arm. Flittering over, she sat the journal in Nora's hands as she said, "I had Bell read through it right after Snow and Lia had it written down for you. It should be easier to decipher it now."

Opening the pamphlet, Nora read out the first part of the legend. "If there is ever a laugh with an unknown skill, then this quest be set for them to fulfill. Moresoever, the result shan't doth give, but will reveal a treasure in which to live.' That first phrase …"

" … is meant to represent you," Bluebell said with a smile. "Nora, just because it may have mentioned a 'talent stone,' I don't think that's what you were really looking for."

River squinted her eyes in thought, not doubt thinking about the next part when Nora said, "But, didn't Lia say it led to the Crystal Caverns?"

"That's what I heard," River said in agreement.

"It does, according to this next part, which says, 'This first marker is where you shall start, go past the silent white hills in a wintry vale. A cave of crystals you shall find, where a token may be given in kind.' River, didn't I see you give Nora one of your crystals the other day?" Bluebell asked, gazing up to meet River's eyes.

Touching the crystal that was tied around her neck, River then said, "I think so, but what I gave Nora didn't feel like this one I have and the other I gave to Snow."

"That's because it wasn't a crystal shard," Bluebell said, watching as Nora turned to pick up the smooth stone that rested in her hands.

"It's a stone from the Crystal Caverns, I remember seeing them alongside the wall as we made our way down the fork," Nora said, watching River's crystal start to glimmer. "They glowed, sort of, almost as if … I can't really say, but all I know is that they were partly meant to show us the way out."

"Hence what Snow told you on what she remembered of the legend, which was of a way out, but I have to tell you, I don't remember seeing the crystals glow at all," River said, fluttering her wings.

"Maybe it was the crystals that enhanced your sight, River, that's the only thing I can take from it based on Nora's description of what happened. I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure, but you're right about the third stanza leading to a way out. However, according to this, this is what it says, 'A fork in the path you might find, look to the cave stars to light your way in nigh. Once out, look far and high, for a crystal fall might just make you sigh.'"

"Crystal Falls, it did lead there, that's where Lia flew you up to look out beyond the falls. What exactly did you see up there, do you remember?" River said excitedly.

Tilting her head towards Cocoa, Nora said, "Not exactly, I didn't really see it enough to know what I was really looking at to say."

"Well, we'll just have to go back when we can to get another look, then," River started to say.

"Right now, though, I think you need to be where you can stay off that wing," Bluebell said immediately, sitting a hand on Nora's shoulder gently. "Clara said that …"

Politely interrupting her, River said, "Bluebell, I'll watch Nora. I'll make sure she stays off that wing, but I think a certain red-headed garden talent wanted your help in the Grassy Meadows. In fact, that's one reason why I came by and to drop off the book from Snow and Lia. Also, I thought it was time for Nora to get some air, outside."

"Hey Nora, watch this," River called, sliding along near the river stream, surfing the waves in her new river lily pad boots. Dipping a hand into the waves in her wake, River summoned a small tidal current that left shimmery dew in her mist.

Slightly distracted, Nora looked up from her book as River's call reached her ears and as Cocoa tugged at the cover playfully to unbind from her hands.

"Nora, did you see?" River said, sliding up onto the shore as she flittered her wings in excitement. "I just recently discovered I can do that, it's awesome! In my book, surfing is so much more fun and beats square down on flying, but hold on, wait … I take that back, they're both great …" River said, lifting a fingerless gloved hand to her chin in thought.

"That was great, River, really flitterific," Nora said, smiling up at her friend. However, sensing her eyes returning back to the page she was turned to, she looked up to see Cocoa still tugging at it, which quickly caught River's attention.

"Still got your nose in that book, huh, Nora?" River said, her eyes playfully glinting. Walking over, she followed Cocoa's growl and finding herself right next to him, she looked up to say, "What's so important about that legend anyway?"

"There's something we have to look for … I just know it," Nora said, paging through the first few stanzas. "There's just something I'm missing."

Thinking for about a millisecond, River suddenly snatched ahold of the book in one hand as she called, "You got that right, the book. Come and get it!"

Laughing, Nora stood to her feet as she ran over River, who flew along a few inches off the ground, holding out the book in front of her. "River, get back here!"

Chasing her around a nearby tree stump a couple of times, Nora bent down to her knees as she caught her breath. Thinking to herself and following the sound of River's wings, she looked up to the top of the stump as an idea crossed her mind with a clever smile.

Realizing that Nora wasn't behind her any more, River paused in the air, listening for any movement, before she settled back down to the ground. Holding the book in both hands now, a sound caught her ears as Nora called out, "Gotcha!"

Pouncing, Nora dived for the book as River started to take off, but bumping into each other, that sent both of them rolling down the hill in a tumble as both girls let out a tumble of giggles as they landed right down in front of an unsuspecting Teal.

Stopping at her feet, Nora seized the book from River's hands as she said, "Alright, you win. I'll give the legend a rest for a while, ok?"

With another giggle, River said, "Good, it's about time you did. I mean it, that's all you been associating with the last day or so …"

"Time," Nora said, suddenly getting an idea. "Time! Cave stars … I think I know where to go with the next part of the riddle."

Throwing a tumble of leaves up in the air over Nora's head, River reminded her, "Hey, your wing, Windy. You need to stay off it, remember?"

"I know, but who said anything about flying?"

Taking note on the way her friends were staring seriously yet playfully at her, Nora held up a hand with a smile as she said, "Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere yet, but as soon tomorrow comes, I think we should take another look at Crystal Caverns. I think if we go at the right time, we may find something we nearly overlooked in the first place."

Hey readers, sorry for the late update. I hope all you had a great Thanksgiving, and again I hope all of you have an upcoming happy holidays.

So, here it is, the next chapter in Nora's story. Enjoy. :)
Oh, and I did re-tinker with the legend itself to make more sense, so please let me know how I did on that for you. Fly with you later!