A/N: "Well my muse and I are on a roll. My best friend Michelle keeps her in line. Her favorite phase is 'there is nothing that a shotgun and duct tape can not fix!' " Looks sweetly at Elizabeth. "Right!"
Elizabeth shutters at the reminder of the talk that she had with Michelle. "I am being good. Just keep her away from me! She scares me." I grin. "Good! Now I know how to get you to behave!"
She looks at the audience. "Please tell her to be nice to me!"
I roll my eyes. "I am almost always nice to you! Now let's start the next chapter!"
I don't own the labyrinth nor it's characters. I do however own Maya and Darious! Hands off heehee ^_^
Chapter Twelve: Canum's Plan
Maya sighed as she stretched. Memories flooded back and she smiled. She looked around the room she was in as she got up from the bed she had been laying in. She gingerly stood up and walked to the door to her right. Upon opening it she grinned happily. It was a bathroom with a hot spring in it! She shut the door and slipped into the hot water sighing as she did so. She was a little tender but it was a good kind of feeling.
Spying some bottles she picked one up and gave it an experimental sniff. It smelled like him! She sighed again before pouring some to wash with. Soaking in the warmth she let her senses spread out. She had more control she noticed over her power since her mating. She was stronger somehow. She spread her senses out to find her mate. She bolted up as her eyebrows drew together.
She couldn't find him! She got out of the bath and walked back into the bedroom. His essence was there in the room but she couldn't feel him anywhere else and that made her hair stand on edge. Something was wrong. She hadn't felt like this since...
She went to the door on the other side of the room before coming up short. She groaned as she realized that she wore nothing. She looked around the room before huffing. She called forth her power and stood facing the large mirror in the corner in the room. Her eyebrows raised as she took in her appearance. Her lips were a darker red as her honey colored eyes were a bright gold. Her skin was now a soft supple golden brown.
She shrugged at the sight before she summoned her winds and sent the command at her hair. The winds went to work immediately swirling her long thick black hair into curling ringlets high upon her head, a crown of of frost, ice, and large snowflakes holding her hair in place. The ringlets falling gracefully to her shoulders.
With a wave of her hand frost formed, spreading across her chest,ice forming around her midriff like a frozen corset, than frost flowed just off her shoulders and down her arms forming sleeves with Ice bracers. She waved her hand gracefully across her back and down her legs. Forming a long flowing skirt that shimmered in the light, belted with large crystallized snowflakes. She made sure that her skirt would not hinder her movement in anyway. Last were knee-high thick Ice-boots. She looked at her appearance with satisfaction. She didn't know where she was but she would not be under-dressed where ever she was.
Nodding to her reflection, she turned toward the door to her left. Opening it revealed a long hallway. She decided since she saw no one that she would just wander until she did. Before long she reached a grand staircase. Seeing two strange creatures, she began to descend toward them. The two stopped talking as she approached.
Sir Didymus stopped his instructions to Darwyn as a beautiful fae descended the grand staircase. He bowed low to her seeing the crest on her shoulder. It marked her as his nephew's mate. "Greeting Princess. May I ask your name, your highness."
He watched as she gazed at him confused. "My name is Maya, however good sir, I am not a princess. I am looking for my mate. Have you seen him?"
"Nay my lady, and that mark on your neck shows to all that you are the mate of High Prince Darious, King of this kingdom. You are now a High Princess of the Underground and the queen of this kingdom. The kingdom of Shendlam. Did your mate not explain things to you?" Didymus watched as the woman shook her head still clearly confused.
"I was in Alaska, we fought than mated. That was the last thing I remember."
"Hmmm... Strange. Alaska... That is in the Aboveground I believe. You are now in Shendlam, My Lady. Tis a kingdom of Avalon in the underground. Your mate wasn't with you?"
"I woke up in his room I think." Maya frowned. "Who are you?"
The little creature bowed before her. "My name is Sir Didymus, your highness. Perhaps you should accompany me back to the goblin kingdom. Lady Sarah could explain better what is going on. We have much to do, I fear. If King Darious has disappeared too than we are in more trouble then I first thought." Didymus murmured as he turned back to the other man. "Darwyn, you have your instructions. You are to carry them out exactly as her ladyship has said."
Maya watched as the strange man with green hair bowed toward the little dog like creature. She watched with surprise as the green haired man vanished in a shimmer of glitter. She looked at Sir Didymus with her eyebrows high. "What exactly is going on? How did he do that?"
Didymus chuckled at the young woman. For being new to Avalon she was certainly taking things in stride. He held out his paw for her to take. "We will get to that however I fear we will need to get you to Lady Sarah. She is your mate's younger brother's betrothed and the soon to be mother of his heirs."
Maya nodded as she cautiously to the little paw. Suddenly the world went spinning.
Sarah growled wanting to bang her head on something. "ENOUGH!" She roared her eyes flashing in her anger. It had been a hour and a half since she had started the meeting with the generals and they refused to listen. They just kept arguing with each other. If this was what holding court was like she would refuse to go from now on! The gods take it!
The room quieted once more. "Let us try this again! I AM IN CHAR"
"Why are you in charge? I am High General, I should be leading the..." He trailed off as a wave of ice cold wind blew through the room. The generals made a path for the fae bowing low as they saw the mark she bore. "You are Lady Sarah, correct?"
Sarah nodded as she took in the appearance of the fae. She was certainly beautiful. "Are you not carrying children?" She nodded again smiling slightly when she saw the mischievous twinkle in the woman's golden gaze. A hushed whisper began to grow in volume until another icy blast was released by the fae woman.
"Let me make this perfectly clear. The next creature to interrupt Lady Sarah or I shall become a frozen statue for my new courtyard." Maya warned, her voice infused with her power. All the generals felt the effect and it chilled them to the bone. She turned her cold golden eyes back to woman before her. She walked regally up to the map looking at it for a minute before she turned her gaze to her soon to be sister.
"I would like to hear what you have to say, Lady Sarah."
"As would I." The crowd parted once again this time due to her warning in silence, as a very handsome fae stepped forward. His silver streaked ebony hair in a single braid down his back. Sarah looked at Maya to see her looking back at her. She grinned and both women started to laugh. The eye patch was a dead give away.
"Is this still a well worn disguise Sir Didymus?" Sarah chuckled as the generals and seconds gasped. Suddenly they all started talking at once and Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose at the noise. It grew cold for a minute before nothing was heard. Sarah looked up and around. She started to laugh. Everyone was frozen from the mouth down. Maya smirked.
"Like I was saying Lady Sarah, I would like to hear what you have to say and what exactly is going on. Sir Didymus said that you would be able to explain better than he. I am newly mated and I am afraid that I am from Alaska not Avalon. My name is Maya and apparently I am mated to High Prince Darious, King of Shendlam." Maya said her eyes sparkling with amusement and mischief.
Sarah tilted her head at her friend, who just shrugged with a grin in place. She turned back to Maya ignoring the frozen generals. "Alright." she nodded. "First my name is Sarah Williams. Yes, you are in Avalon. Here's the crash course on this lands history."
"Hundreds of years ago, the Underground was established. The high queen, Titania and her mate high king, Oberon petitioned the gods and goddesses to separate the earth into two separate realms."
"One for the the magical beings and one for the mortals. There are thirteen portals acrossed the realm. There are thirteen kingdoms within the realm. Each of those thirteen kingdoms protects a portal. My father is currently stopping panic in Rucillo. He will join us when he is able." Sarah watched as Maya looked over the map of their world.
At Maya's nod she continued "There was one fae name Canum who was given the Rucillo kingdom but due to his warmongering he was removed from the throne and it was given to my father who fell in love with my mother. My mother's name was Linda and since she was mortal he renounced the throne and gave it to his cousin Basias. With who, I have yet to meet. He went to the mortal world or rather the Aboveground as it is called. Just like we call the Underground Avalon."
"If he went to the mortal realm why is it that he and you are back in the Underground?"
Sarah winced. "When I was fifteen I wished away my baby brother to the goblin king. It never occured to me that it would actually work. Some how I fell in love with th"
"FAIRY KILLER!" Maya exclaimed. "Those were your books! 'Return the Babe'! 'Running From Love'! That was my favorite. I loved the ballroom part. Did that really happen?"
Sarah nodded blushing at the praise. "Anyway things happened... I will fill you in on those later but right now... Have you noticed an increase in creature sightings?"
Maya nodded. "I have also noticed that there is more magic in the air then from when I was a child. It is easier to draw in magic now-a-days. When I was still in apart of society, I did a study on the occult and majored in world history and mythology. I have noticed that in the past one hundred and fifty years or so, sightings have been steadily increasing."
Maya put two and two together. "You think that..." She looked down at the map before her worry in her eyes. "If this map is right you are going to have two major problems if those myths are right."
Sarah's expression grew concerned as Sir Didymus looked down at the map as well. "What is it?"
Maya frowned before turning to the knight. "Are dragons real?" He looked startled. "Of course, My lady. They live near the Argien Kingdom. We have an understanding with them though. They leave us be and we don't enter their territory. Why do you ask?"
"Shit. How reasonable are they?"
"Less than not very."
"Please tell me that none have been banished." Maya's gut sank and she nodded at the look that dawned on the old knight's face. "Just how long do dragons live."
"As long as us. If what your saying is..."
Sarah let out a whoosh of breathe. She followed where Maya was going with her train of thought and it wasn't pretty. If Canum had a dragon or two on his side they were screwed seven ways to Sunday... Unless... "Do not even think it, My lady! Tis suicide, even for you! Plus the children..." Sir Didymus exclaimed pointedly looking down at her stomach.
"I know but we ne"
"I will go. My ice equals my mates. I am more than a match for them. I stand the best chance to get their help. If what Lady Sarah and I are thinking is right, than as it stands we will need all the help we can get. I am afraid Sir Didymus, that there is more at stake here than you understand. It is not just the Underground that is at jeopardy, but the Aboveground as well! He will need to promise those dragons something."
She paused as a sense of dread filled her at her next thought. "There could also be a problem with the humans in the Aboveground... The children of the Aboveground have become psychically and elementally stronger. In the last hundred years there has been a giant boost as each generation embraces the old ways more and more. Every decade the old ways are coming back stronger." She watched as the two's eyebrows rose.
"There are quite a few witches that I have met who have been waiting for the call. I didn't know what they meant at the time however I think I get it. How long has it been since anyone has actually seen this Canum? "
Sir Didymus frowned. "Tis been a few hundred years now that I think on it."
"Is magic innate to mortals?" Seeing Sir Didymus shake his head she sighed "Is it possible to plant a seed of magic with in a family line than let it grow naturally over time?"
Sir Didymus grew still. Sarah looked at her friend. "What is it my friend?"
"Tis..Tis just a thought. It is possible to transfer a small amount of magic to a mortal however the magic would eat at the mortals life force and can be very unpredictable. I have never seen a mortal last more than ten turns once it is implanted. The children resulted were ether deformed and killed or possessed no magical traits aside from being physically becoming."
"Shit." Maya and Sarah swore together. They were silent for a moment before Maya couldn't take it any longer. She posed the question in everyone's head. "What if the magic was recessive but through each generation became stronger. More powerful. What if Canum realized this and found a way to call that magic to the surface and control the ones with who it resides within."
She looked at Sarah to see that she too looked sick at the thought. There were so many mortals that even 1 percent could overwhelm them. "Is it possible to close the portals?"
"Only the gods and goddesses have that ability. They were the ones to create them in the first place."
"How do we contact them?"
Sir Didymus sighed. "We can not. The only ones with the power are my sister, her mate, and my nephew Jareth. If they were dead the high crown would go to me. When we were younger before the great divide I was the one in line for the throne of Avalon. However I felt Titania would be a far better ruler than I, young though she was. Oberon had saved her from Canum. He held her by a dagger called Cryuni..It is the only thing that can kill a soul. It dissipates the soul should you be killed by it." He bowed his head as he revealed his shame.
"It was then I realized the truth. I would rather see her gone than give her to one such as he. As he held that dagger to her throat I realized that if I felt that way about the one I loved most than I had no right to rule. To rule took a firm but caring hand. That dagger was once was guarded by a four headed dragon named Taronic.
"Canum slew this dragon to get it?" Maya's heart sank to see his nod. "I gave Oberon one wish for his deed. I could tell what it would be just by their body language."
Sarah grinned. "That old geezer asked for her hand, huh."
Sir Didymus grinned before chuckling. "He did indeed. I gave Titania the decision. I knew that she would say yes. I could see that he was a good man. I left before she accepted. I became Sir Didymus,and with war after war, I finally grew tired of fighting for useless reasons. I chose to disappear and hid in my nephew's bog. That is until a spoiled childish young woman made her way past me and into my nephew's heart." Sir Didymus smiled affectionately down at Sarah and she gave him a hug in turn.
Maya was quietly memorizing the map as the knight talked. She charted the quickest way through to get to the Dragon's Mountain. Knowing that she would be stopped if she tried to leave she unfroze those in the room and during the chaos backed quickly out of sight.
A/N: Well that be it for this chapter! I hope you liked it I know that there was a lot of information in it but I wanted to give you all a little of the background that was going on in my head. As always, please leave a review at the door.