While the storm pounded at the roof of the house, Ferb sat quietly at the home's computer, trying to take his mind off of the chilling prophecy. It doesn't necessarily mean me, he thought shakily. I'm sure that plenty of people fell into Avalon before, changelings, clumsy fae...While he tried to get rid of the unpleasant words of the Celtic stone, a knock at the door startled him out of his chair. "Hey, Ferb! Whatcha doin'?", Isabella asked chipperly. Ferb shrugged, ushering her in. She continued. "I was just walking home from the library when this freakish storm hit, and I thought I'd stop by to say hello, and maybe dry off before I go home."
"Hey Isabella." Phineas waved to the girl next door, offering her a spot on the sofa. Though the years didn't change his obliviousness, he had become a little more interested in her than he had before, now noticing the beauty in her uncorrupted innocence. "What have you got there?"
Isabella smiled, sitting next to him. "It's a book of mythology from the library. It's funny, really; I've never seen it there before. It just...called to me, I guess."
Phineas looked down at it quizzically, not noticing the grimace of discomfort on his sibling's face. "Myths and Mysteries of the Seelie Realm? Huh. Never heard of it before...Can I see?"
"Knock yourself out."
He flipped through a few pages before stopping. "Look at this one. The Will O The Wisp. Aren't those the little spirit balls from D and D?"
Isabella shrugged. "Read what it says and find out."
He nodded, reading, "The will o the wisp is the immortal heart of a magical spirit. When one of Oberon's Children is slain, the heart lives on as a benign or malevolent ball of energy, depending on if the Child is Seelie or Unseelie. A faerie heart can never be destroyed unless pierced with either iron or a Holy object." He cocked his head, looking at a bit of fine print that seemed to shimmer. "See; Oberon's Heir, Page 54." He narrowed his eyes, tossing the book to the couch. "If I never see Oberon's ANYTHING again, it'll be too soon." His voice held a trace of bitterness; he would never forget what the Faerie King had tried to do. Breaking from his thoughts and gazing around the room, Phin noticed something. "Hey, where'd Ferb go?"
He was in his room, feeling a need to get away from the faerie talk, and in any case, he felt like being alone. He had been awake all night the previous night and felt like taking a bit of a nap.
On Avalon...
Peaseblossom bowed low, reporting the news to her Lord and Master, Oberon. "...And that is what happened, My Lord. The dream itself was unsettling, but combined with the earthquake on Tory Island and the sudden awful storms, I am afraid the evidence is too great to ignore."
Oberon's voice shook with fear and anger. "You do not mean to imply, my servant, that-"
"Indeed, Your Majesty, I do."
"My mother, the Nightmare Mistress, has risen." His head bowed low as he contemplated what to do. "Everyone, leave me at once."
Titania, his beloved wife, piped up, "But my love, I must help you, mustn't I?"
Lord Oberon shook his head. "I must do this alone, Titania. Please escort Peaseblossom and Robin out."
She nodded somberly. "As you wish, My Lord." With that, the Faerie Queen ushered her subjects away.
Oberon gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes, concentrating all of his energy into his fingertips. While he concentrated, a dim, hazy light began to form in the middle of his hands, growing brighter, sharper and rounder every second until it resembled a miniature sun. The faerie king breathed deeply, opening his eyes and breaking his focus. The little ball of light floated toward him until they saw "eye" to eye. Oberon smiled sadly. "My son...You know why I have called you here, do you not?"
The will o the wisp pulsated, seeming to mean "yes". Oberon finished, "My son, The Nightmare Queen walks among us again, as you know. It will not be long before she seeks to kill me in vengeance. You know who the heir is. Now find him." The spirit ball did what looked like nuzzling his cheek before vanishing in thin air.
Oberon lowered his head in shame and mourning. "My son...I'm sorry."
Back in Danville...
Phineas re-entered the living room to see Isabella reading furiously. He had walked into his and Ferb's room to see his brother asleep and decided to let him. He wasn't going to wake him up, and watching him would be intensely creepy.
Isabella's disturbed expression made him ask, "What's wrong? What are you reading about?"
Her voice oozed with fear and dread. "Phineas, this is bad...I checked out the chapter on Oberon's Heir, and you won't believe this!" She cleared her throat and began to read. "The story is told, though who can say if it's true, that when the world first began, Lord Oberon was not the ruler of Avalon. That title belonged to Queen Mab, an insane and violent Unseelie faerie whose reign was one of chaos, fear and nightmares. She terrorized mortals and made life unbearable for all on Avalon and Earth alike. When Oberon was of age and married Titania, she began to fear that her son would overthrow her, setting off a chain of events that began a thousand year war. During that time, Titania gave birth to a son, who would be the heir of Oberon and the next ruler of the faeries. Queen Mab knew that she and her Unseelie horde were losing and in a fit of rage, desperation and spite...killed Titania and Oberon's son."
Phineas seemed hooked. Although he still had distaste for the Seelie Ruler, a twinge of sorrow hit him when he learned this. Isabella moved on. "With his grief and the love of his son's memory, Oberon found the strength to overthrow his mother and become ruler of Avalon. Mab was imprisoned in molten iron in the center of the earth under Tory Island, and remains there to this day. His son became a Will o the Wisp and still serves under his father. It is said that soon, Mab will rise again and bring her reign of terror with her!" She blinked, looking at the book incredulously. "Hey, how does this thing know that?" She coughed. "Anyway, it is also said that since Oberon's son can no longer claim the throne, the title of Faerie Prince will go to a mortal heir, pictured here."
Phineas shrugged. "Why are you worried?"
Isabella bit her lip. "Phineas, just look at this picture!" She held up the book of mythology and showed him a sight enough to give him an aneurism; the wood carving of the Oberon's Heir to the throne looked exactly like his brother.
"I gotta go check on him!" Phin took Isabella's hand and ran with her into the bedroom...
...Just in time to see Ferb vanish in a flash of light.
[A/N: -Dies- This chapter killed me. But I hope you like it. I tried to incorporate different faerie legends as well as adding my own spin on things. In history, I don't think Oberon or Titania bore any children, but it was for the story. And if you're wondering why Oberon didn't recognize Ferb as his heir the first time around, it's because he's aged and changed a lot since then. -Kaylee]
