Chapter 36
"SAM?"
The teen groaned as the voice reached his ears, pulling him from unconsciousness. He felt a hand shake his shoulder gently.
"Come on, Sam, wake up. It's over, you won."
Sam's eyes opened slowly, and he was surprised to see a familiar face. Kneeling in front of him, looking much healthier than the last time they had met, was Prince Rainbow.
The old man's face burst into a smile when he saw Sam awaken. "Hello, Sam. How are you feeling?"
"Tired," the teen replied. "And sore."
"SORE? YOU SHOULDN'T BE SORE. DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?"
"I just fought a…whatever that thing was. Don't I have a right to be-" Sam stopped as he realized he felt fine. His ribs gave him no pain, and the metal shard that had dug its way into his leg was nowhere to be seen. The teen sat up, and realized he was not in Darkhaven anymore. He found himself sitting on a rainbow high in the sky, just like when he had first arrived. "Where…where am I?"
Prince Rainbow chuckled. "YOU ARE WHERE YOU WERE BEFORE, JUST A BIT HIGHER."
Sam looked down and saw Darkhaven far below. He also saw his friends lying on the ground, none of them moving. "You have to take me back down there," Sam insisted. "I have to help them! After all I did…"
Prince Rainbow put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "CALM YOURSELF, SAM. YOU HAVE WON THE BATTLE; THE WORLD WILL WAIT FOR YOU."
"What do you…" Sam trailed off as he noticed something floating in the air. It was a bird, frozen mid-flight. The implications of Prince Rainbow's words dawned on him. "Are you telling me time is stopped right now?!"
"WELL, IT IS ACTUALLY FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT, BUT IF IT HELPS TO THINK OF IT THAT WAY, GO AHEAD. FEEL FREE TO RELAX FOR A BIT. FRITH KNOWS YOU HAVE EARNED IT." Prince Rainbow shook his head. "I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE YOU BEAT IRA. I DID NOT THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE."
"So you know what that thing, Ira, was?" Sam asked. "Please, tell me. I think I've earned some answers."
Prince Rainbow nodded. "YES, YES YOU HAVE. WE WILL BEGIN WITH A STORY, ONE THAT IS BETTER SHOWN THAN TOLD." He leaned forward and laid a hand on Sam's head. With a flash, their surroundings had changed. Sam and Prince Rainbow were floating in thick, soupy fog.
Sam looked around in confusion. "Wha-" Prince Rainbow put a finger to his lips and gestured behind him. The teen turned and saw the Black Rabbit, but he did not appear to notice them.
"IT BEGAN CENTURIES AGO, WITH THE BLACK RABBIT. AS YOU KNOW, HE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EVIL, FOR HE PROVIDES A NECESSARY SERVICE. BY FERRYING THE SOULS OF THE DEAD TO THE LAND BEYOND LIFE, THE WORLD REMAINS BALANCED AND AVOIDS OVERCROWDING. BUT AS I AM SURE YOU CAN IMAGINE, NOT EVERY CREATURE SAW IT THIS WAY."
The scene flashed, and Sam watched as the Black Rabbit stood in front of a rabbit caught in a snare. The doe was not moving, and her glassy eyes lacked the spark of the living. A spectral version of herself rose from her body, and the Black Rabbit moved to catch her attention. It was clear by the shock on her face that she recognized him. Although Sam could not hear what the pair said, it was obvious the doe was furious. She attempted to run, but froze suddenly and fell the ground, paralyzed. The Black Rabbit's ears lowered in sadness as he turned away, the doe's prone form following. "NOT EVERYONE WENT WILLINGLY," Prince Rainbow said with a look of pity on his face. "SOME HAD TO BE DRAGGED, KICKING AND SCREAMING."
The scenes flashed before Sam's eyes. Buck and does, some old, some so young their eyes were hardly open. All were angry. The visions finally settled on one last scene. A rabbit lay on the ground with an arrow through its neck. Sam watched as a human dressed in furs approached the body. He dropped to his knees and began a prayer over the dead rabbit, unaware of the ghostly meeting taking place before him. The Black Rabbit was different here. Where before he had been kind and gentle, his face was that of one who would brook no argument. He sneered as the rabbit began to argue. When it was clear that would get him nowhere, he tried attacking.
Suddenly, hell broke loose.
The Black Rabbit bent over and shook his head in pain. When he stood again, a feral snarl was on his face. With a flick of his paw, the rabbit's spirit screamed in agony, and shattered. The human nearby yelped in surprise and fell backwards, as Black Rabbit suddenly became visible to him. The Black Rabbit looked at the man momentarily before a cruel smile flashed on his face. Before the man could grab his bow again, the Black Rabbit leapt forward and bit him on the ankle. Then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared.
"THAT WAS THE DAY IT STARTED. YEARS OF BEING HATED AND CRITICIZED FOR DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT FOR THE WORLD CAN TAKE A TOLL ON ANYONE. THIS, COMBINED WITH THE BLACK RABBIT'S POWER OVER DEATH, GAVE BIRTH TO A CREATURE OF PURE ANGER."
"Ira," Sam replied.
Prince Rainbow nodded. "YES. IRA'S POWER WAS TOO GREAT, AND HE WAS ABLE TAKE CONTROL OF THE BLACK RABBIT. HE FED OFF THE BLACK RABBIT'S ANGER TOWARD THE WORLD, AND ALL THE UNGRATEFUL CREATURES THAT LIVED IN IT. HIS GOAL WAS TO TAKE OVER EVERY CREATURE, HUMANS INCLUDED, AND SHROUD THE WORLD IN ANGER AND ANARCHY." The scene changed to a rough wooden shelter. The hunter from before was sitting at the table, looking at his leg with concern. Sam winced empathetically as he recognized the same infection he had on his leg after the fight with Alice.
"IT WAS AN INTERESTING SITUATION THAT HAD FRITH AT A UNIQUE DISADVANTAGE. THE BLACK RABBIT, AS WELL AS MYSELF AND A FEW OF HIS OTHER SERVANTS, ARE CONNECTED TO FRITH IN SUCH A WAY THAT ANYTHING THAT IF ANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO US, HE WOULD BE SEVERELY WEAKENED. POSSIBLY EVEN DIE. IF THIS WERE NOT THE CASE, FRITH COULD HAVE SIMPLY DESTROYED IRA, AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF IT. BUT BECAUSE IRA WAS CONNECTED TO THE BLACK RABBIT, AND THE BLACK RABBIT TO FRITH HIMSELF, HE NEEDED…ANOTHER WAY TO FIGHT."
Suddenly, a beam of bright sunlight filled the hunter's cabin. Being that it was nighttime, he was understandably alarmed. The man balled his hands together and began to pray. It was only a moment before his head jerked up. He seemed to be listening to something, and spoke back hesitantly. Sam's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he wasn't…
The teen turned to Prince Rainbow. "Wait a second. Are you telling me Frith is real? Like, really real?"
Prince Rainbow chuckled. "I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD BE SKEPTICAL. BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT, YES, FRITH IS VERY REAL. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIM MYSELF, ACTUALLY. HE IS VERY NICE."
Sam stood in awe. "And Frith is…is like…"
"GOD? NO. BUT AGAIN, I CAN SEE WHY YOU MIGHT THINK THAT. THE WAY THE PROPHET PORTRAYED HIM IN THE WATERSHIP DOWN BOOK, IT DOES MAKE HIM SEEM VERY OMNIPOTENT. IF IT HELPS, THINK OF FRITH LIKE…AN ANGEL. THAT IS THE CLOSEST APPROXIMATION TO WHAT HE REALLY IS IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS."
Sam nodded slowly, taking in all Prince Rainbow had said. One thing jumped out at him. "Prophet?" the teen asked.
Prince Rainbow swore under his breath. "I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. I WILL EXPLAIN LATER, BUT FIRST…" Prince Rainbow gestured back to the hunter, whose leg had begun to glow. When the glow faded, his leg was strong and healthy, as it had been before the Black Rabbit bit him.
The scene changed.
The hunter was walking through a forest, with three rabbits following behind him. They spoke freely together, laughing at some unheard joke. He must have been shrunk just like me, Sam thought. And given the same powers as well. He doesn't appear to have any trouble communicating. Suddenly, the rabbits' ears perked up and they said something to the hunter. Watching another human turn into a rabbit for a change was fascinating. He seemed to blur and fall on all fours before reappearing as a large, dark grey buck. The group ran off quickly as a fox appeared from the bush.
"FOR A WHILE, IT WAS MUCH THE SAME FOR HIM AS IT WAS FOR YOU, EXCEPT THAT HE KNEW OF IRA'S EXISTENCE FROM THE BEGINNING."
Another scene change, and the hunter stood in front of a bloody Black Rabbit. The hunter's hands were glowing yellow. He pointed at the Black Rabbit and fired a powerful Frith Beam. The beam engulfed the Black Rabbit, and he rolled on the ground in pain. When it was over, he got slowly to his feet, and looked around in confusion. Sunlight filled the clearing where the two were standing.
Prince Rainbow spoke again. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED FOR CENTURIES. THE MESSENGER WOULD 'DEFEAT' THE BLACK RABBIT. BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. BY THIS TIME, IRA HAD A HOLD ON THE BLACK RABBIT. HE COULD ONLY BE SUPPRESSED, NOT DEFEATED. NOT WITHOUT KILLING THE BLACK RABBIT. NOW, FRITH IS ASKING HIM TO STAY. FRITH KNOWS IRA WILL BE BACK, AND HE WOULD LIKE THE HUNTERS HELP IN PREPARING TO DEAL WITH HIM IN THE FUTURE. HE ACCEPTED."
With a wave of his hand, Prince Rainbow brought the pair back to the rainbow above Darkhaven. Sam reeled from the images in his mind, and fell hard on the rainbow.
"THAT MAN WAS ONLY THE FIRST TO BE DRAFTED BY FRITH," Prince Rainbow said, reaching down a hand to pull the teen to his feet. "AFTER SEEING HOW WELL HE DID, FRITH BLESSED HIS FAMILY. EVERY HUMAN BROUGHT TO FIGHT AGAINST IRA AND THE BLACK RABBIT IS DESCENDED FROM HIM. YOURSELF INCLUDED."
Sam held up a hand. "Stop, please. Just…slow down. I understand most of this. Ira came from the Black Rabbit, I get that. I can even see how Frith would want to stick with a single family line. The less people that know about something like this, the better. But where were you? It looked to me like Frith talked to that guy directly." After thinking for a moment another glaring question hit Sam. "And how the hell is there a book about my friends?! Richard Adams wrote Watership Down about the rabbits lying on the ground down there." Sam's gaze fell and looked over his friends. "Well, for the most part. Explain that one."
"I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD PICK UP ON THAT," Prince Rainbow responded with a smile. "I WILL KEEP MY OWN SECRET FOR A WHILE LONGER, BUT KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST PRINCE RAINBOW. THERE WERE OTHERS BEFORE ME. AS THIS CYCLE CONTINUED, FRITH AND ONE OF MY PREDECESSORS DID WHAT THEY COULD TO MAKE THE PROCESS OF FIGHTING THE BLACK RABBIT EASIER. DO YOU REMEMBER I MENTIONED A PROPHET EARLIER?" Sam nodded. "IN THIS CASE THAT WOULD BE RICHARD ADAMS. THOUGH HE DOES NOT REALIZE IT, THE IDEA FOR THE WATERSHIP DOWN STORY WAS A GIFT FROM FRITH. IT IS A FAIR TRADE: HE SPREADS THE STORY OF THE RABBITS TO THE NEXT MESSENGER, AND IN RETURN, THE BOOK DOES WELL."
"It always does well?" Sam inquired.
"IT IS SURPRISINGLY EASY TO CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD IS WRITTEN. THE MESSENGER ALWAYS FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK. ALWAYS. IT MAKES THE TRANSITION EASIER. AND WATERSHIP DOWN IS HARDLY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. MANY DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF THE BOOK HAVE BEEN CREATED, THAT IS JUST THE ONE THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER. WHEN ONE MESSENGER SUCCEEDS, FRITH ERASES THE CURRENT BOOK FROM EXISTENCE, CHANGES IT TO FIT THE NEXT TIME IRA WILL AWAKEN, AND PLANTS THE IDEA IN A NEW AUTHOR." Prince Rainbow chuckled. "I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WAS EVEN IN THE HANDS OF SHAKESPEARE AT ONE TIME. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE ME."
Sam shook his head. The thought that someone had entered his mind and forced him to like something made the teen feel violated. "That…that isn't right! How can you just change the world, people's lives, just to suit your own needs?"
Prince Rainbow looked at Sam in disappointment. "SURELY YOU ARE NOT THAT SHORT-SIGHTED? YOU WOULD RATHER FRITH HAVE LEFT THINGS THE WAY THEY WERE? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE TRANSITION IF YOU HAD NOT KNOWN THE RABBITS YOU WOULD BE LIVING WITH? IT WAS MUCH EASIER TO SAY, 'YOUR JOB IS TO KEEP THESE RABBITS THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE SAFE,' RATHER THAN, 'YOU HAVE BEEN DRAFTED BY AN ANGEL TO FIGHT A PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH'S RAGE. HERE ARE YOUR RABBIT ALLIES, AND YOUR POWERS. GET IT DONE.'"
Sam sighed and averted his eyes. "I…guess I can see your point. I still don't like the idea that the world is just Frith's plaything."
"YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH THE CARDS YOU HAVE BEEN DEALT. FRITH DOES NOT DELIGHT IN ALTERING YOUR WORLD. I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN HIM DO IT FIVE TIMES, AND IT IS VERY TIRING FOR HIM. I IMAGINE HE WILL BE PLEASED THAT HE WILL NOT HAVE TO DO IT ANYMORE." After a pause, Prince Rainbow smiled suddenly. "ENOUGH OF THIS HEAVY TALK, SAM. YOU JUST SAVED THE WORLD! IT IS TIME TO TALK ABOUT YOUR REWARD."
"My…what?" Sam asked in confusion. "I get a reward?"
"OF COURSE YOU DO! EVERY HUMAN WHO FIGHTS FOR FRITH GETS THEIR CHOICE OF REWARD. COME ALONG, IT IS SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS PART." With a wave of his hand, the pair disappeared in a bright flash.
Sam blinked rapidly to clear the spots from his eyes. When his vision cleared, he noticed he was in a white room. And that he was human sized again. There were beeping machines and a bed in the middle. Sam looked at the bed, and his breath caught in his throat. If he had not been floating in the air next to Prince Rainbow, he would have fallen to the floor. There was a person lying in the bed.
It was Sam.
The teen sputtered in shock. "Wha-what the hell is this? What's going on?!" He looked desperately to Prince Rainbow for answers.
Prince Rainbow floated in front of Sam, blocking his view from himself. "BREATH, SAM." The teen shook, his emotions barely contained. Prince Rainbow sighed. "THEY ALWAYS HATE THIS PART," he mumbled to himself. "CALM DOWN, SAM. EVERYTHING IS FINE."
"But that's me!" Sam exclaimed. "But…I'm me! I don't understand."
"SAM, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO EVERY LIVING THING, A BODY, AND A SOUL. THAT," Prince Rainbow pointed to the Sam lying the bed, "IS YOUR BODY. THE ONE YOU LEFT IN YOUR BED THE NIGHT I TOOK YOU. YOU," he poked Sam in the chest, "THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE RABBITS OF WATERSHIP DOWN WITH A FRITH-MADE BODY, ARE THE SOUL. UNDERSTAND?"
Sam nodded numbly. "So it wasn't really me…"
"YES IT WAS!" Prince Rainbow interrupted forcefully. "THE BODY AND SOUL ARE ONE, SAM. GRANTED, YOUR BODY CANNOT SUSTAIN ITSELF WITHOUT YOUR SOUL, HENCE THE HOSPITAL STAY. BUT IT IS NOT LIKE YOU ARE SUDDENLY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHILE YOU HAVE SPENT THE LAST YEAR OR SO FIGHTING IRA, YOUR BODY HAS BEEN HERE, IN THE HOSPITAL."
By this point, Sam had calmed down somewhat. After a few moments of silence, a thought came to him. "I…I didn't really have much time to think about it after arriving, but I had a concern, back when I first arrived. Is Watership Down real? Like, really real? Have I really been unconscious for a year?"
Prince Rainbow nodded sadly. "I AM SORRY, BUT YES, YOU HAVE. THERE IS NO WAY TO STOP TIME FROM PASSING IN ONE PART OF THE WORLD WHILE ALLOWING IT TO FLOW IN ANOTHER. AS FOR YOUR OTHER QUESTION, YES, WATERSHIP DOWN IS REAL. AND YES, YOU WERE REALLY RUNNING AROUND THERE. IT IS IN ENGLAND, YOU KNOW THAT."
Sam huffed in annoyance. "Well sorry if some of us have trouble following everything. Just because you've done this five, six…whatever number of times doesn't mean I have."
Without warning, Prince Rainbow threw his head back and began to laugh. "I REMEMBER YOUR FATHER SAYING SOMETHING SIMILAR. YOU TWO ARE MORE ALIKE THAN YOU REALIZE."
"You know my dad?!"
"OH YES, OF COURSE I DO. SPEAKING OF…" Prince Rainbow turned towards the closed door, "YOU CAN COME IN, JOHN. I CAN SENSE YOU LURKING OUT THERE."
Sam whipped around as the door to the room open and a man walked through. The teen's mouth hung open as he registered his father's appearance. His hair was messy, and he was still in his polka-dot pajamas. It looked like he had just come from bed. The man smiled as he saw Sam and Prince Rainbow floating in the room. "Hello, Sam."
"Dad," Sam managed a gasp past the rising lump on his throat. With no further warning, the teen lunged at his father, arms outstretched…
"Sam, wait! Don't-"
…only to fly right through him and crash into the wall.
John winced as Prince Rainbow hurried over to help the teen up. "Are you alright, Sam? I did the same thing when I got back. We can't touch just yet, since you're still just a soul."
With the help of Prince Rainbow, Sam was able to stand. He walked up to John calmly this time. "It's just…I'm so happy to see you, Dad. I didn't know if I would ever see you again. How're Mom and Molly doing?"
"They're alright, considering you've been in a coma for a little over a year," John replied. "I wasn't allowed to tell them where you really were." He chuckled. "Not that I would have anyway. Your mother would have just worried herself sick, and Molly probably wouldn't have understood."
Sam's eyes widened. "Wait, you know where I've been? About Prince Rainbow, all the crazy powers, and…"
John nodded. "And Ira, yes. I've been there myself." He turned to Prince Rainbow. "Would you care to explain, Max?"
"Max?" Sam asked skeptically.
Prince Rainbow sighed in annoyance. "I HAD NOT GOTTEN THERE YET, BUT YES, MAX IS MY REAL NAME. YOUR FATHER KNOWS THIS BECAUSE I TOLD WHEN I BROUGHT HIM BACK FROM FIGHTING IRA."
Sam looked back to his father. "You…?" John gestured for Sam to be quiet and listen.
"REMEMBER I TOLD YOU THAT ALL THE MESSENGERS FROM THE PAST FOLLOW ONE FAMILY LINE? WELL, IF YOU WERE CHOSEN AS A MESSENGER, DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT YOUR FATHER WOULD AS WELL? WHEN THE PREVIOUS MESSENGERS WOULD DEFEAT IRA, HE WOULD ONLY STAY LOCKED AWAY FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. THEN WE NEEDED SOMEONE NEW." Prince Rainbow turned to John. "JOHN, LISTEN TO THIS: SAM ACTUALLY BEAT HIM! IRA IS GONE FOR GOOD!"
"What?!" John exclaimed in pleased surprise. "I didn't think that was possible. How'd you do it, Sam?"
"Well this is just a guess," Sam replied, "but I think when he took over my body, he severed his connection with the Black Rabbit. So when I kicked him back out, he was ripe for the killing. Does that sound about right?"
John stood in shock as Prince Rainbow shot him an empathetic glance. "IRA TRIED SOME NEW TACTICS THIS TIME," he explained to John. "WHERE BEFORE HE HAD ALWAYS HID AND SCHEMED, THIS TIME HE WENT ON THE OFFENSIVE. HE HAD THRALLS BEFORE SAM HAD ARRIVED, HE ACTUALLY CAPTURED ME, AND HE EVEN CREATED A FALSE HUMAN MADE OF DARKNESS TO COMBAT SAM DIRECTLY. IF FRITH HAD NOT ERECTED A BARRIER AROUND THEIR WARREN, I DO NOT KNOW HOW EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT. HE WAS MOVING SO FAST, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO TIME TO SPARE. WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO PULL IN THE REPLACEMENT RIGHT AWAY, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST."
John's face went ghostly white. "But if Sam couldn't beat him, there's no way-"
"I KNOW. THANKFULLY, SAM WAS ABLE TO WIN. IT WOULD HAVE BROKEN MY HEART, PULLING THAT LITTLE GIRL INTO HER DEATH."
Sam threw his hands up in exasperation. "Hold on, now what are you talking about?"
Seeing that John was still not in a condition to answer, Prince Rainbow responded. "IN THE EVENT THAT THE MESSENGER CANNOT DEFEAT IRA, WE BRING IN THE NEXT ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBER AS A REPLACEMENT. IN THIS CASE, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOU SISTER, MOLLY."
"What?! How could you even think of asking Molly to fight that monster? She's only eleven! What kind of a stupid rule is that?!"
"THIS IS A MATTER OR PROTECTING THE WORLD, SAM," Prince Rainbow replied. His words lacked conviction, as if he himself did not really believe them. "IRA CANNOT BE LEFT TO WORK HIS PLANS UNCHECKED. IF MOLLY COULD NOT HAVE DEFEATED IRA, AND I HIGHLY DOUBT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE. THAT SITUATION HAS ONLY OCCURRED ONCE IN THE PAST. THE INITIAL MESSENGER HAD AN UNFORTUNATE SLIP OFF SMALL RIDGE, AND BROKE HIS NECK. IN DESPERATION, FRITH BROUGHT IN HIS YOUNGER SISTER TO REPLACE HIM. LUCKILY, THE GIRL WAS VERY STRONG-WILLED."
"Thank you, Sam" John finally spoke. "Thank you, in so many ways, for defeating Ira."
"I'm glad I was able to," Sam agreed. "Now Molly is safe, and my own children won't have to go through any of this. Right?"
John responded hesitantly. "Well that would be right, but…" he glanced to Prince Rainbow. "Did you give him the choice yet?"
Prince Rainbow shook his head. "I WAS ABOUT TO. I THINK IT IS TIME."
"What choice?" Sam asked in confusion.
Prince Rainbow cleared his throat. "SAM, WHEN EVERY MESSENGER DEFEATS IRA, FRITH GIVES THEM THE REWARD OF A GOOD LIFE. AND A CHOICE AS TO WHERE THEY WANT THAT LIFE. THIS CAN GO ONE OF TWO WAYS. JOHN, WILL YOU EXPLAIN THE FIRST CHOICE?"
The man nodded. "The first choice, the one I took, is to come back to your human life. You will have a bit of work to make up for the lost time, but you'll find everything surprisingly easy. I can't point out exactly what Frith does, but let's just say that I don't think I would be earning my six-figure salary on my own. Your rabbit friends will have their minds erased, so they will remember nothing about you or fighting the Black Rabbit. Their lives will be rewritten to what they were supposed to be at the end of the book."
"TV show," Sam murmured. "My friends were from the TV show, not the book."
John looked to Prince Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged. "DON'T ASK ME. FRITH DOESN'T TELL ME WHY HE DOES EVERYTHING."
"Then they be how they were at the end of the TV show," John continued. "No memory of you, and with their own happy ending."
"THE OTHER OPTION," Prince Rainbow said, drawing the teen's attention, "IS TO STAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS FROM WATERSHIP DOWN. YOU WOULD BE STRIPPED OF YOUR POWERS, AND WOULD BE A NORMAL RABBIT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOUR BODY HERE WOULD DIE TO MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR NEW, PERMANENT RABBIT FORM. YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WOULD BE HEALED FROM THE INJURIES YOU SUSTAINED WHILE FIGHTING IRA, AND YOU WOULD BE LEFT TO LIVE YOUR LIVES AS YOU SEE FIT. FOR THE DERATION OF YOUR LIFE, WATERSHIP DOWN WOULD SEE GREAT LUCK. ELIL WOULD FIND IT HARDER TO CATCH YOUR SCENT, FLAYRAH WOULD BE PLENTIFUL, AND EVEN THE WINTERS WOULD BE EASIER FOR YOU TO BEAR. ONCE YOUR FUNERAL HAD OCCURRED HERE, JOHN WOULD BE ALLOWED TO TELL YOUR MOTHER AND SISTER THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, TO EASE THEIR SUFFERING." Prince Rainbow paused for a moment to think. "THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE MORE STIPULATION TO THIS CHOICE, BUT I AM NOT SURE IF IT WILL STILL BE ENFORCED. YOU MAY REMEMBER YOUR FATHER CALLING ME MAX WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED? THAT IS BECAUSE THAT IS MY NAME. BY STAYING WITH THE RABBITS, YOU AGREE TO TAKE ON THE JOB OF PRINCE RAINBOW WHEN YOU DIE, TO HELP THE NEXT MESSENGERS IN THEIR BATTLE. THAT IS THE CHOICE I MADE. YOU KEEP THE JOB UNTIL ANOTHER MESSENGER DECIDES TO STAY. PERSONALLY, I HAVE BEEN PRINCE RAINBOW FOR ABOUT EIGHTY YEARS."
"I…I could stay?" Sam asked in disbelief. "But…what about my friends? What about Cody and Becka? Would they be told what happened to me?"
"NO," Prince Rainbow responded immediately. "THEY WOULD LIVE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES THINKING YOU SUCCUMBED TO YOUR COMA." He closed his eyes for a moment and looked to the sky. "IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, THEY NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOU. EVERY YEAR THEY VISIT YOUR GRAVE AND PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO THEIR BEST FRIEND."
Sam wiped the tears from his eyes. There was a reason he had them for best friends, after all. One last question burned in the teen, and be dreaded to ask. "I have to know: what would happen to Glade? In both the book and the TV show, there was only one rabbit rescued from Nuthanger Farm: Clover. What happens to Glade if I come back to New York?"
Prince Rainbow again looked to the sky, but this time was different. His face scrunched up and his head shook, as if he was being told something disagreeable. With a sigh, he opened his eyes. "FRITH SAYS THAT THINGS GO BACK TO THE TV SHOW. TO THE LETTER. I ASSUME THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE RESCUED IN THAT CASE. HE DID NOT SAY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HER."
Sam nodded in acknowledgement. "So option one is going back to New York. Hazel and the others would have their minds wiped, and would go back to the TV show. They wouldn't remember all the crap they had to go through because me Ira…and me. And option two is to stay with them, and make my friends and family think I'm dead. Is that right?"
The pair nodded.
Sam sighed as he looked between them.
"Considering that, there's really only one option I can take."
A/N: *gasp* A cliff hanger like that?! I'm just terrible, aren't I? )
I would LOVE reviews for this chapter, since it is arguably the most important in the story. If there is anything you didn't understand, any questions you still have, PLEASE ask! This was supposed to be the chapter to wipe all the mystery away from the story, and I might have forgotten to explain something that is obvious in my head, but not so much to you. Thanks!