The Other Half of Her
Okay! I think it's time I stop being rude and speak to my reviewers! I've gotten ideas, questions, questions with ideas - time I respond.
(((Updates))) - I try to update chapters every two weeks or so. Work and home responsibilities get in the way.
(((Ideas))) - These are all awesome ideas. The Princess Ivy, I was always going to have Lydia stay behind while Sofia and Amber do their thing. The Tri-Kingdom Picnic, you hit the nail on the head. I was going to do a scavenger hunt thing. As for the early Prank day...that one seems fun. Let me see where I can put it. And the flying crown I was always going to put around season 1 because I didn't like how it was spaced to season 2 when Hugo had a change of heart.
(((Reviewers))) - I've noticed there are a few times in the reviews where arguments are being started, someone dislikes the way someone is reviewing, or just all around hostility. Let me make this clear, people are allowed to review however they like. Some reviews may seem annoying to you, but I let them roll off my back. Honestly, I like the readers I've attracted. And the reviews they leave. Reiterating what I said, being confused, or rewriting a chapter and changing a part - it's all a nuance, and I appreciate them. Honestly, thanks to reviews like those, I recognize where I've made mistakes or left plot holes and either revise the chapter, or fill the holes in the next chapter. This isn't the first time I've addressed reviewers going overboard or arguing about my fic, and I know it won't be the last. My goal is that you guys enjoy the fic. That's the one thing that you all have in common, and should on a steady ground for. :)
(((Lydia))) - There are many questions about Lydia, her father, and her headband and powers. To sum it up, Lydia has too much power for her to handle, so Fauna gave her a headband to help suppress it to a manageable level. Lydia takes it off, her power flow starts to increase. There is a limited time to how long it can stay off before she can't control it anymore.
(((My Sister's Keeper))) - This is an announcement. In another...three to five chapters or so, I am going to end My Sister's Keeper. Why? The future chapters I have planned are better suited for an ending. No, I will not be forsaking other events of the Sofia story. Basically, this fic will be ending with a cross roads being crossed. The next installment will continue through season 1. This one is running too long for my taste.
Moving on.
xxx
"Eclairs...biscuits...tea..." Ubos's stomach gurgled in his sleep. He was in a state of bliss. All the food who could want and more.
"UBOS! UBOS, WAKE UP!" Eezeyal shook the slumbering book. He wouldn't budge an inch. Eezeyal took in a deep breath. "WAKE THE HECK UP!" A shrill shriek ruptured Ubos's ear.
"GYAH!" Ubos rocketed face first into the ceiling, then dropped with a thud. "Ouch…" If he had hands, he'd be able to touch the lump on his head. "EEZEYAL! What's going on?" He murmured. He slurped the drool on his lip. It's too early, or late, for Eezeyal to be so loud. "Keep it down or you'll wake Lydia."
"No I won't!" Eezeyal squished his cheeks, turning him to the empty bed. "Liddy's gone!"
"WHAT IN CRUELLA'S STILETTOS!" Ubos gasped. He scanned the bed, assuming Lydia initiated an invisibility spell in her sleep. That void was just that. "That's impossible!" The open door would suggest otherwise. Eezeyal gawked at the door as if it were a cruel joke. Lydia would be waiting around the corner to jump out and scream boo. Nothing. "She shouldn't even be able to sit up! Let alone walk out the door!"
"Well Liddy doesn't sleep walk!" Or does she? Eezeyal wasn't there for her first fit. He doesn't know what the state of her health or mind is. "She must be somewhere! There's no way she can travel far! Not without raising attention."
"Agreed! Let us wake our animal friends and scour the castle!" Time was of the utmost essence. Lydia's health was in a very fragile state. She can't be walking around. Not now. Where are you Lydia?
xxx
"Miss Flora…" Sofia sheepishly fiddled with her hands in her lap. "Is...that is...what is Lydia?" Miranda and The Fairies sunk miserably. The one question they were dreading. Sofia bit her tongue on the question. She just asked about Lydia as if she wasn't human. "I mean! What's wrong with her?" That question wasn't any better in her mind. Now she's making it sound like Lydia was sick, or mentally ill. "I don't know what I'm asking." Truthfully, she's scared of what the answer will be.
"Princess Sofia. If I may?" Miles interceded. Sofia welcomed him. She was about to lose her breath trying to put her question lightly. Miles stood tall, projecting his courage in the face of The Fairies, Miranda, and the situation. "My Queen, Fairies - you've named Princess Lydia as a Skipped Inheritor. What precisely is a Skipped Inheritor? And why do they pay a heftier price for their magic than others?"
The questions were contingent on deep thought. Miranda and the Fairies considered his questions. Miles wishes to know more about Lydia, but he wants the spectrum widened on the Inheritors themselves. "Skipped Inheritors, also known as Generation Arcanists," Flora began with a foreboding tone, "Are a special breed of magic user. Powerful in nature. Elegant in form. Devastating in their power. And enchanting to bear witness to." Not to be confused with a breed of animal. Generation Arcanists are far more than a mere label on a chain. "Alchemists, Sorcerers, Witches - every two generations from each practice bears one. Lydia is one such person in sorcery."
"But what ARE THEY exactly?" Miles stressed. What is a Generation Arcanist in general? Their being. Their mindset. What is it about Skipped Inheritor's that sets them apart from others? Ushers irrational fear from others.
"I can explain." Miranda stood with her head hung. "I have the perfect example." Miranda plucked a ring from her hair tie. She showed the trinket to Roland and her family. It was a wedding band. Not the one binding her to Roland. "My former husband, Balthasar," Sofia knows that name. She just doesn't have a face to put with it. Roland's fingers curled at the name, "His parents were both powerful sorcerers. However, Balthasar's magic was kept dormant. It would sleep inside of him until his has children." She lowered the ring, placing Roland in the middle.
"Lydia." Roland hummed.
"Yes." By the dower glow in Roland's eyes, he is struggling to not remark on the tales he's heard of Balthasar. Miranda put the ring back on her hair tie. Air was clearing. Miranda relished in the wieght lifting. But she wasn't finished. "Balthasar's dormant magic passed into Lydia who already possessed her own magic."
"Skipped Inheritors is partially a self explanatory term in itself." Fauna further elucidated for a moment. "Sorcerers are born with their own affinity for magic, but are given an added boost from the carrier parent."
"So…" James's head was spinning. He added Lydia's magic plus her real father's magic and equaled it to her, which put a question mark at the end. "She has...two magics in her?" He held up two fingers confused. Sounds like a cramped place.
"In a way - yes." Miranda confirmed with a small laugh. That's one unique way to put it. She brought her hands to her chest, "Those two powers merged within her. By age five, Lydia demonstrated enormous magical potential." Miranda will never forgot how Lydia glistened like the stars when she first levitated the coffee table. The wonder and amazement magic brought her. Joy overwhelmed her recalling the time Lydia charmed Sofia's dolls so they would dance. "Magic was Lydia's way of bringing happiness to others. But...when she learned what she was…" That light darkened significantly. Lydia treated herself like a blight. Became resentful of everyone. "Lydia became disgusted with herself. Hated herself. She shut the world out."
Roland, Amber, Sofia, and James gasped horrified. Miles, Baileywick, and Alauna were equally stunned. Lydia? Their Lydia? Hated herself? How utterly...Miranda and The Fairies lowered their heads, confirming the horrible truth. "But why?!" Gwen shrieked, startling everyone. "Lydia's an amazing person! One of the nicest people I know!" She looked at her palms, unable to balance what she's heard. "There's nothing wrong with her!"
"And she'd be relieved to hear you say it." Fauna reassured her. "But I doubt she'd believe it herself."
"What is it about her power that has her disliking herself so much?" Amber adamantly wanted to know.
"The power is both entrancing and dangerous." Flora decided to place her input. The conversation relying solely on Miranda was unfair in her eyes. "Had Lydia not been brought to Hexley, her powers would have grown out of control."
"Like they almost did now?" Alauna gestured to the infirmary.
"I am afraid they can grow far worse than that. There is a limited time to how long she can manage it." Flora retorted. The eerie air became stifling. "She's extended that time considerably. Lydia maintained some semblance of control before she collapsed." She and her sisters were very impressed by he level of control. They felt sort of silly for doubting her. "Because she knows this, Lydia fears what is inside of her."
"And that fear makes the power fluctuate, and makes it harder to control." Roland added astutely. He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift. Lydia...always seemed to panic. But for what reason? One minute she's calm...but then… 'Lydia's headband slipped from her head.' Could it be? Roland gaped at his epiphany.
"How has she been keeping them under control then?" Baileywick moved the conversation.
Sofia gasped aloud. "Her headband!" Roland's epiphany suddenly didn't seem too impossible. Sofia received odd stares from the others. "I've..I've seen it!" Sofia stammered, bending her fingers nervously. "Back at Merroway Cove. Lydia took off her headband and beat the sea monster with lightning. It was...different. I don't know how...but her magic didn't feel the same."
"Wild. Unruly. Powerful. Is that correct?" Merryweather proposed. She ground her nails in her shoulders, "Static vibrated your bones, and made your hairs FLY off the ends?" Sofia wordlessly nodded. She doesn't know how else she'd describe it. "That's a small portion of what Lydia - or any Skipped Inheritor - is capable of." She tapped her hat as an example, "The headband is a suppressant item. It helps Lydia keep her magic in check, while allowing her to wield it normally. When it's off, a roaring rapid of magic erupts." Amber, James, and Sofia each hummed in awe. They began to wonder what Lydia would be able to do with magic like that. Maybe bring Wassailia to July! That'd be great.
"Save for a few minor outbursts when she works herself up." Fauna giggled her remark, earning a few nods and nostalgic winces. "Suppressant items like Lydia's come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Unfortunately they aren't perfect." Her cheeks flushed at an old memory of one of her other students. That will be a story for another time. "Short bursts will always escaped. Perfectly normal, and healthy for relieving the build up that happens occasionally."
"She told me it was a training item." Sofia commented softly. She's a little hurt Lydia lied to her. She understands why. But it doesn't take away the hurt that Lydia was afraid to tell HER.
"A lie that she's formed into a truth, I'm afraid." Fauna shook her head. "Lydia is frightened to be without her headband. It's rare that she takes it off."
"Then why don't we put it on her?" Amber pointed to the band Fauna was holding. For respect to Lydia, and the safety of others. "It's been hours since she last had it on. Why not put it back?"
"Her magic needs to be unrestricted if she is to recover. Putting this on her now would be disastrous." And leaving it off could be disastrous as well. When Lydia awakens, then they will put it on.
xxx
BAM! BAM! BAM! Heavy shackles hands slammed boorishly to iron clad bars. BAM! BAM! BAM! Sturdy iron bars echoed shrilly off the dank walls of Enchancia's dungeons. Spiders lurking in cobwebs retreated into the darkened corners. Rats raced back to their holes. BAM! BAM! BAM! Caked on rust and dusty pebbles chipped away. The bars themselves never so much as budged. No loose fillings at the base or tops.
"COME ON!" BAM! The shackles swiped the bars. The trapped hands felt only the vibrations. The sensitive flesh was spared unflattering scars. "DARN YOU!" BAM! BAM! In a blind rage, a booted foot lashed out. The bars resounded painfully in the leg. "GRRR!" The prisoner edged back, babying his foot. He stepped on an already destroyed pair of glasses, grounding them like he would a bug. "I'll get out...just you wait!" Dark green highlighted a pair of eyes. "DEMOLISH THAT WHICH LIES IN THE PATH OF THEE!" Magic circles and triangles webbed from the feet, fueling an orb materializing near the hands. Teeth ground rabidly. The body within the prison cell strained to feed the orb. "BOMBARDA!" Inscriptions on the shackles ignited in an icy glow. Pinches to the arms cut off the magical flow. The prisoner dropped his arms, and fell to his knees exhausted. The orbs and circles died down in a dim. "CURSE YOU!" The shackles were slammed at the ground. "Faires...Lydia...King Roland...CURSE YOU ALL!" The figure's body stooped. Long hairs matted and draped messily to the ragged face of Lezard Hirsch himself. He panted raspily, vowing to any who would listen that he would make his captors pay.
The four guards standing watch over the rarely used cells found a droll sense of humor in Lezard's constant roaring. Lezard hadn't ceased his futile rampage since Roland and Goodwin threw him in the cell. Though it would be lying if they said he wasn't becoming annoying. Asking him to stop would only prompt him to continue. He's like a child right now. Making noise just to excite responses. The doesn't alleviate the annoyance any less.
The two guards nearest the stairs volunteered to take a breather from Lezard's inane ramblings. They pressed palms to their throbbing heads. He's more boisterous than Amber. As the two guards rounded the first turn, a palm opened in their faces. Blue glitters stung their eyes.
The two remaining guards heard outcries. Their comrades tumbled down the stairs, collapsing upon one another. They were...snoring? The two fell asleep on the fall. Both guards raced to see if they were alright. Lezard pressed to the bars, barely able to see down the corridor. A figure emerged from the stairs, stepping over the sleeping guards. Bare feet patted the ground. A little, drab form meandered into the candle light. Blank eyes encased ice to the two guards spines.
"Ugh! Princess...Lydia…?" The guards lowered their weapons.
"Lydia?" Lezard gasped. He clung to the bars, trying hard to slip between to see her.
Lydia approached the guards in a zombie stride. "I'll finish what Cedric started." Her bare feet slapped exaggeratedly to the cold stone. Her disheveled appearance had the guards concerned.
"Princess...what are you-" Lydia extended a hand. A flash of blue glitter stung their eyes next. The guard cried out, then dropped to the ground asleep.
Lezard, cheeks glued to the bar, gaped in shock. "What in Morpheus…?" He breathed. He cried out fearfully and fell on his butt, scrambling for the back wall. Lydia drew close to his cell, towering over the cowering man with those blank eyes. A twisted, carnivorous smile split her lips.
xxx
"Whoa!" Eezeyal wildly flapped on a stop. Feathers molted on an unconscious maid. Trailing after her were other maids, butlers, a couple of guards collapsed asleep. All in one neat little trail. "What the Heck happened here?" Eezeyal was breathless. Ubos was equally speechless. The one saving grace was these people weren't injured. But, for the life of him, he can't ascertain what became of them. Or can he?
"Wait…" Ubos hovered near the unconscious Violet. It's faint, but he so sparkling blue near her eyes. "This substance. Sleeping Dust!" He gasped.
"Sleepin' Dust? Ain't that a residue from using a minor, but potent, sleep spell?"
"Indeed it is!" Ubos rumbled forebodingly. He gazed fretfully to the staff. "These poor people were charmed asleep."
"But who would do such a thing?!" Eezeyal wheezed. "Lezard's locked in the dungeon, the Fairies are in the parlor, and Goodwin and Winifred left!" There's only one answer left. And they haven't found her yet. Ubos's grim expression told Eezeyal his assumption. "No! No-no! Ubos, Lydia would never-"
"SSH!" Ubos hushed him. He pushed him behind a corner pillar. The pair poked their heads out. A rippling blue light flooded from an adjacent hallway.
"What the Sam Hill?" Eezeyal whispered his shock.
"That corridor leads to the dungeons, correct?" Ubos's brow furrowed.
"Yeah. But why does that matter?" Floating unconscious in a strobing blue glow, Lezard drifted from the corridor. His limbs dangled limply. "Lezard? How in-" The question was answered when Lydia emerged from the corridor. Her hand resonated with the light feeding Lezard's trap. "Lydia?!" Her head snapped right. Ubos wrenched Eezeyal plastering him to the wall. The two held their breath. They could feel Lydia still staring with those empty eyes. Lezard groaning and twitching brow diverted her attention. She sauntered languorously in the opposite direction. Ubos and Eezeyal released their breath hearing her barefeet grow distant. "Did you see that?!"
"I did!" Ubos grumbled.
"Guess Liddy did get up and walk away." Somehow, Eezeyal attributed her to a lost item suddenly growing feet and walking away. "But what was she doing with Lezard? And what's up with her eyes?!"
"All very good questions." Ubs groaned. "While I can't answer the first one…" He cautiously poked his head out. Lydia was gone, but he can see her ghostly person clear as day in his mind. "I can answer the second." Her blank eyes unnerved him to the core. "That wasn't Lydia. Not our Lydia, anyway."
"Not Lydia?!" One would think after everything he's seen, nothing would sound ridiculous to Eezeyal. This took the cake, and had extra frosting. "How do you mean? Was she possessed? Did that varmint Lezard possess her?!" Eezeyal will claw his eyes out if he did.
"I am afraid possession would be a godsend to what has afflicted Lydia!" Before Eezeyal could ask what he meant, Ubos was already racing after her. "Find Princess Sofia! I must stop Lydia!"
"UBOS WAIT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH LYDIA?" Ubos was gone. Eezeyal wanted to chase after him. Then again, if Sofia or anyone shows up to find Lydia gone they'll raise an alarm. "Grr! I hope you know what you're doing, Book!"
xxx
Gwen and Alauna shot to their feet. They'd heard all they needed to hear. Or wanted. Lydia wasn't being painted in too great a light. They needed a distraction. Rather, a reminder that who they've lived with isn't anything like what others speculate. "We're going to go check on Lydia." Gwen announced.
"Please pardon us." Alauna curtsied. She and Gwen darted into the hallway. Roland doesn't blame them. This is all a little much to swallow. Lydia...you've carried this on your own?
"Mom…" Amber placed knuckles at her hips. Hard to tell if she was upset or sad. Possibly both. "You knew Lydia was like this...and you never told us? Why?" That offence in her tone was a no brainer. In between the lines it said, How dare you not tell us our sister was in trouble?
"Because it wasn't my secret to tell." Miranda regretfully shook her head. "And Lydia feared she'd be ostracized - or worse - by others. She was scared others would see her like a monster." Her fingers interlaced nervously with one another. "Or that they'd look at her differently - as you all are now." Amber, James, and Sofia winced. They hadn't noticed it until Miranda mentioned it. Were they making stranger faces? Baileywick and Miles sure noticed it. The difference was written all over their faces. It wasn't on purpose. Far from it. They just...aren't sure what to think. Or what to say when Lydia wakes up.
"We don't mean to, Miranda. Honest." Roland poured his heart, rising to his feet. Standing was a bit of a task under the weight of the situation. "It's just…this is a disturbing matter." Miranda's chest condensed. He found this disturbing? He found Lydia...disturbing? "This whole time…" Roland furrowed his brow, folding his arms, "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything! Miranda shied away. "Lydia has been carrying a weight most would be crushed by! And she never told us!" Miranda was caught off guard by his response. Similar outrage was shared with the kids, Baileywick, and Miles. "She bears unimaginable pain, has to strive harder than anyone else for the smallest semblance of control. When she finally has that control, she exhausts herself to maintain it. Worse still...she does it alone." Roland locked his hard stare to Miranda, taking the wind from her momentarily. "How often is it that she tells you she's struggling?" Miranda sighed dismally, glancing to the floor. Not often or not at all, either way Lydia isn't open about her magic. It wore on Roland's nerves. And his heart. "She hides in tumultuous work! Works herself to the brink of exhaustion! Then she...she…" Roland's voice cracked under the welling sorrow flooding him. That smile. Lydia's loving, bright, beautiful smile. "How can she always smile so sincerely...knowing she is victimized by her own magic?"
"Because Lydia would rather smile, and bring smiles to others, than to see them weeping with her in her misery." Sofia's cheeks warmed with an admiring smile, rubbing her arm shyly. "That's...just how strong she is." Sofia stroked a tear that was ready to fall.
"Strong or not she had no right hiding this from us!" Amber huffed.
"Yeah!" James folded his arms. "I mean, come on! What'd she think we were going to do?" Which idea sounded the most ludicrous to him? "Grab pitchforks and torches and chase her out of town!" Sounds fun for a festival, but not for his sister. "If anything, she'll make Halloween and other holidays a blast around here!" Amber stamped on his foot. He winced painfully. "What?!"
"Try to keep up, James! This is serious!"
"I'm being serious to!" James shoved her off him. He held Miranda's hands, bouncing them adamantly. "If Lydia see's the fun she can have, I think she'll come around!" Miranda lowered her head. She wishes that it was that easy.
Heavy panting and rapid feet stumbled to the parlor. Gwen burst in, holding the doorway in a sweat. "LYDIA'S GONE!" She shrieked.
"WHAT?" The whole room shot up. Miranda and The Fairies went pale as ghosts.
"Alauna and I...searched the whole...hospital wing! Lydia isn't there!" Gwen caught her breath before continuing. "None of the servants we asked have seen her either!"
Miles stormed forward to Gwen, "Princess Lydia was out cold! She's in no condition to hold her eyes open, let alone get up and walk away!"
"THEN WHERE IS SHE?" Miranda roared. That's the million dollar question. No one in Lydia's condition should be walking around. "Lydia can't have left the castle! She has to be somewhere!"
"Then we must find her now!" Fauna adamantly advocated.
"She's not the only one missing!" A guard pardoned himself past Gwen, saluting when he saw Roland. "Pardon me, My King! The prisoner, Lezard Hirsch, is not in his cell!"
"He's escaped?!" Roland grit his teeth. The Fairies shared abject disbelief. The shackles they fastened to his hands are capable of restraining Maleficent herself. There's no possible means by which he could use to escape. Not on his own. "How did he escape?"
"There were no signs of forced entry. However…" The guard trailed off. Shame reddened his cheeks. "My King, the guards on duty were fast asleep when I arrived."
"Asleep?" Baileywick tilted his head confused. That doesn't sound right.
"They weren't the only ones." The guard regretted to inform. "Violet, Balan, and other guards and servants were fast asleep near the cells."
"That many people fell asleep on the job?" Even to Baileywick, that is too great a pattern to be a coincidence. "Your Highness! Lezard must have cast a spell in order to escape!" He fervently testified. "Princess Lydia must have known and gone after him!"
"Regardless of the circumstances," Roland addressed both Miles and the guard, "Assemble all able bodied guards and scour the castle for Lezard Hirsch! Do-not-engage!" He emphasized strongly. "When he is found, alert me or The Fairies!"
"Yes sir!" Miles and the Guard saluted, then sounded the alarm as they raced to find Lezard.
"Dad!" Sofia, joined by James and Amber, stood determined before Roland. "We want to help too! If Lydia's in trouble…"
Roland set a hand to Amber and Sofia' heads, kneeling to his children. "If Lydia's in trouble, she'll want all of us there." He nodded to his children. He glanced up to Miranda. "Because family stands together. No matter what."
"Rolly…" The Roland she married projected in light. Miranda was falling in love all over again. Now wasn't the time for gratitude. Lezard was at large, and Lydia was in danger. "Let's find her! Fast!"
xxx
The tempered night winds picked up an aggressive speed. Ominous clouds rolling the skies shrouded the moon. Muffled rumbles of thunder jostled their jaded lumps. The trees and bushes rustled feverishly, their leaves fleeing in the rough currents. Animals retreated inside their homes, shivering at the frightful storm approaching. One hand to the declining stone wall, Lydia slapped her feet on descending stairs. The cold winds hadn't bothered her in the slightest. The stone steps had protruding rocks which stubbed her toes every other step. Not so much as a flinch at what would cause another a shock. Lezard was still out cold, floating in his prison. The tiniest sign of his awakening - twitch of a brow, a groan, or spams in reflexes - prompted Lydia to squeeze her glowing hand. The surrounding field reverberated intensely, prodding Lezard's body, coaxing him back to his imprisoning slumber.
Stiff grass blades crunched under her feet. The grass dulled away to moist dirt. Agitated laps of water crashed to stunted ledge, lightly dousing Lydia's toes. A dark smile stretched her cheeks. "Cedric had the right idea." She remarked in a deep voice. "Drowning you may be too merciful…" Lydia moved her hand, moving Lezard upside down over the knee deep water, "But it will grant me a silent pleasure."
Unbeknownst to Lydia, Clover, Mia, and Robin arrived at the top of the stairs, hugging to the wall. The storm frightened them, but hearing Lydia was walking around sick scared them more. Ubos found them near the kitchen scrounging for a late night snack when they got the bad news. Clover went so far as to throw his carrots aside to begin the search for Lydia. From her room to the library to every other room in the castle - Lydia's one hard person to find when she doesn't want to be found. This put stress on Ubos. The longer it takes to find Lydia, the more danger she is in.
"THERE SHE IS!" Mia shrieked. "And Lezard is with her!" Robin and Clover followed where her wing pointed. The glowing force field with the unconscious person was a dead giveaway. Lydia was near the lake edge beside him.
"UBOS! SHE'S AT THE LAKE!" Clover howled. Ubos darted to the animals, gaping in dismay at Lydia. "What's she doing?!" Clover asked as she creepily kissed Lezard's lips. Clover's not to adept at reading lips, but he recognized a sinister laugh when he saw one. Something iffy was going down. Clover ressed paws to his mouth aghast. Lydia lowered Lezard to the water. His glasses fell, submerged in the water. Mia and Robin's breath hitched in their throats. They could hardly bring themselves to watch. "SHE WOULDN'T!" Clover yanked his ears.
"LYDIA…!" Ubos rocketed to her. Clover, Mia, and Robin remained where they were, praying Ubos would reach her in time.
xxx
Lezard's hair barely touched the water. "This would be much more fun if you were awake." Lydia licked her lips, cackling menacingly. "Then again your wailing for self preservation would expedite interference." And she hates HUMAN interference.
"LYDIA! STOP THIS!" Her smile disappeared. She stretched her fingers as stressed claws. The inane voice of her book and mentor was behind her. She can feel his fretful glare on her back. "Lydia! Put Lezard on shore! NOW!"
The command rejuvenated her evil smile. "What will you do if I don't, BOOK?!"
Ubos was hurt that she, of all people, called him a book. He shook it off, putting it far in the back of his mind. It is her voice, but this THING is not Lydia. And he won't address it as so. "Disposing of Lezard will not erase what he's done! You know this?"
Lydia shrugged an indifferent hand. "Past events are null and void, Ubos." She crooned mundanely. "What matters is the future. And in MY future," She lowered her hand. Lezard's forehead submerged, "Lezard Hirsch is another guest to Davy Jones's cousin." An old metaphor. Davy Jones' rules the darkest fathoms of the ocean. Rumor has it he has family in smaller bodies of water. Nothing proven yet.
"So you would stain pure hands with blood to sate your sense of preservation?!" Ubos growled venomously. Lydia's head turned partially. Her twisted smile excited Ubos's rising revulsion. "Lydia! This isn't you! YOU don't want to do this!" The girl before him lost her smile, irritated to no end by the name. "Don't let the hurt control you!"
Control HER?! Lydia whipped around. "NOTHING CAN CONTROL ME, UBOS!" She swept her hand in a fury. A gash tore diagonally from dirt to a tree trunk. Ubos's brow furrowed. "Not Roland! Not Fauna! Not Goodwin! And certainly not you!" A challenge for action if Ubos ever heard on. "I'm the most powerful being to walk this earth since Genies and Fairies! There's is nothing that can stop me! NOTHING THAT CAN HURT ME!"
"Then why do you shed a tear?" Lydia was taken aback. She touched under her eye. Her stomach clenched. Tears are falling. The aching in her chest confesses sorrow. Anguish. Why...Why am I crying? "Lydia...please…" Ubos implored to his student - his friend - that is inside the body somewhere. "Lezard has hurt you mortally. You defended his honor and character this whole venture, and he stabbed you in the back!" He put great emphasis on the wounding betrayal. The source of Lydia's disfunction. "And someone you care about was stricken with his blame!" Cedric! Where's- Lydia's brow twitched. It was a millisecond, but Ubos would swear he saw her blue eyes flicker. He steadily approached, watching for the slightest offensive move. "It is understandable you would want to retaliate! But I beg you not to sacrifice who your are for this fleeting closure!"
Lydia's canine punctured her lower lip. She growled rabidly, closing her fingers torturously slow. The radiating field tensed around Lezard, restraining his limbs while building aching pressure in the muscles. Lezard grunted on reflex. A mild red tint suffocated to his cheeks. Lydia flung her her sideways. Lezard was tossed like garbage. His back cracked on a tree. Protruding roots his means of a break in his landing. Twigs and leaves fell on him. Splintering pain started to rouse to the land of the living. Lydia's sole attention focused to the obstinate book floating across from her. Her blank white eyes sent waves of unease, and mild fear, shooting through Ubos. Lydia truly represented a ghoul.
"You know something? You're really annoying!" Lydia threw her hand up. Materializing thorny yellow coils constricted Ubos. "Stay out of my way!" A swing of her arm and Ubos was sent hurtling towards the castle.
"UBOS!" Clover, Mia, and Robin cried. Ubos flipped out of control trying to stop. Mia and Robin shot to the sky. They sunk their miniscule taloons to his binding, slowing his trajectory to a halt. They released breaths of relief, lowering him beside Clover.
"Thank you, girls…" Ubos windedly bowed. "That was certainly close."
"Why would she do that?" Mia screeched outraged. She glared hatefully in Lydia's direction. "What's wrong with her?"
"This isn't Lydia's will!" Ubos groaned. The thorny coil left rips in his cover. Thankfully, they'd be considered glorified flesh wounds. "Nothing that is transpiring is by Lydia's design!"
"What do you mean?" Robin worried the toss threw his mind farther.
"I will explain later!" Ubos shook off the wounds. Dust from his pages sprinkled and sowed the wounds shut. "But right now, I need Eezeyal to get Sofia out here!"
"Why Sofia?" Clover worried for his princess.
"Because Cedric is nowhere to be found." He retorted glumly. The animals were baffled by Cedric's name. What good could he possibly do in a situation like this? "Sofia is the only one who can quell Lydia's hurt."
xxx
Lydia scoffed at Ubos's departure. She can hardly bring herself to believe he tried to intervene. He's quite brave for a paperweight with no hands to defend himself with. "Foul Book! Always knows how to stand in my way!" She spat at the ground he hovered near. She'll have to burn him alive later. "Clover can add some ancient shavings to his burrow." An activity she will handle at a later time. There is the matter of a certain lizard she needs to handle.
"Now where were-hm?!" Her brow arched. She was baffled by the empty void where she swore she threw Lezard. Breaking shrubbery twitched her ear. She strained a raised brow to the scuffling. Digging at the elbows and shuffling with the legs, Lezard scrambled frantically to escape. "So that's how you want to be?" Pitiful whimpering uttered as he struggled to rise on his hands and feet. Strength was building to let him pick up speed. "That's fine! I prefer this method anyway!" She casually strolled after him.
Lezard tripped over his own feet, getting a face full of moist soil. He spat repulsed by the worms he unfortunately scooped. He hoisted himself to his weak feet, fumbling into a meager run. He bounced off anything that was fastened by the dirt. There was no shortage of obstacles. Maneuvering in the night wouldn't be so difficult if his glasses hadn't been broken. He shouted curses at his pace constantly quickened and slowed. He twisted front to back, watching for Lydia and anymore of nature's interventions. Lengthy roots peeking from ground ripped his feet from under him. He saved himself on his hands and tried to recover. He smashed his nose into a rock. It wasn't too harsh a connection. Much of him was numb from that field. He shook it off, rising to his feet.
Pure white eyes pierced the darkness. "AAHH!" Lezard was frightened to his hind. He shivered like a leaf. Lydia had found him.
"As much fun as this was. I grow bored of cat and mouse." She lifted her curling hand. "Tell me," A ring of wind wrapped to his neck, lifting him so the toes of his boots barely brushed the dirt, "Have you ever played hangman?"
To be continued.
By the by, quick question, what would you guys think of a human mode for Ubos?