Garth, Kalina, Fredrik, Niki, and Tedi were brought to the Father Tree in the apple orchard to meet Queen Mita of the fairies. Tanya smiled openly at their arrival, but Arik seemed distant and lost in thought. Queen Mita stood regally on the platform and welcomed the humans.
“Greeting to you all and welcome to the land of the fairies,” she intoned. “You have my deepest apologies for the treatment given to you upon your arrival. While I did not order your capture, I did know about it afterwards and consented to your imprisonment. For that I can only offer apologies that are insufficient to compensate you. You are now free and are welcome as my guests. We will extend every courtesy to you during your time with us. I am Queen Mita, Queen of the Fairies, and this is my son, Prince Midge.”
Kalina stood with a tight grimace on her lips. Fredrik and Tedi looked around as if to determine whether or not they were in some kind of dream. Niki peered at the small Queen as if examining her wardrobe. Garth stepped forward and bowed.
“If the thoughts of your soldiers were that we were coming to attack you, then they behaved admirably,” Garth offered. “We had no way of announcing our arrival, but we have ridden far and long to seek your audience. We have a matter of grave importance that must be discussed with Your Highness. I am known as Garth Shado.”
Queen Mita smiled deeply. “You are a most eloquent and gracious guest, Garth. I have been discussing your adventure with Tanya and Arik. I know why you have come and what it is that you seek. The Holy Sapphire will be presented to Arik when he returns the Crown of Light to the fairy people. Introduce me to the rest of your group.”
Garth threw a puzzled look at Arik and Tanya as he introduced the Rangers to Queen Mita. The Queen apologized and welcomed each member of the group before addressing Garth again.
“I assume by the others’ deference to you, Garth, that you are the group’s leader,” the Queen began. “It is late and while you have slept, my people have not. Midge will help you set up camp and we will discuss things in the morning.”
Garth nodded and Midge flew down to hover before him. After inquiring about the Rangers’ requirements, Midge selected an area of the orchard that was not far from the Father Tree and still allowed for a campfire. The Rangers set up camp while flinging questions to Arik and Tanya. Arik ignored all of the questions and was the first down on his blanket to go to sleep. Tanya looked quizzically at Arik every time someone asked her what was going on. Eventually, she suggested that discussing it in the morning was a good idea and she also retired. With no one to answer their questions the rest of the Rangers drifted off to sleep.
Garth awoke early and retrieved water from the stream to make coffee. As soon as Garth got the fire going, Prince Midge appeared to offer his help. Garth’s questions were shrugged off with an explanation that Garth should learn of the discussion from his own people. Midge did prove to be pleasant company and Garth enjoyed stories about fairy life. Of course, Midge’s favorite story was about the time he accompanied the Mage and Garth detected the soul of an adventurer in the fairy Prince. Midge did explain to Garth what had happened on the trail with the casting of the Sleep Spell, the levitation of the prisoners, and the disappearance of Tanya.
Soon the smell of breakfast and the sound of voices awakened the Ranger camp. Many fairies were already roaming about the orchard and all of them sported inquiring glances, but no one bothered the humans. Garth invited Midge to join them for breakfast and the green fairy was elated. Over breakfast, Tanya explained how she avoided capture and planned the infiltration. Garth thought Midge’s eyes would fly out of his head when Tanya described how she grabbed the Queen. When she got to the part about the Queen’s determination to see Arik’s chest and some reference to the Bringer, all eyes turned towards Arik. Arik turned bright red and stalked off to his blanket.
“What is all this about?” Kalina demanded of Midge.
“It is not my place to talk about it,” Midge declared.
“The Queen said that she would forbid her people to talk of it if Arik requested her to do so,” Tanya prodded. “Arik did not make such a request.”
Midge stared over at Arik while he talked. “Our Prophecy foretells of the one who will return the Crown of Light to our people,” Midge finally got out. “We know Arik to be that individual whom we call the Bringer.”
“How do you know it is Arik?” pressed Kalina.
“He bears the mark foretold upon his chest,” frowned Midge. “Now that I have told you, will you spare him further grief and embarrassment?”
“What else do the Prophecies foretell?” Garth asked.
“I am only permitted to speak of the Prophecy as far as I have,” declared Midge. “To say more is to betray my people. Please do not abuse the hospitality that we have extended.”
With that Midge flew off to sit near Arik. “You have no reason to be ashamed of what you bear,” Midge told Arik. “I would gladly bear it for you if that were possible. It is a sign of greatness to my people. You should remove your shirt and wear the mark as a badge of honor because you have been chosen for an honorable task. There is not one among my people that would look upon it with anything but envy and awe. You are to be respected and revered.”
Arik looked at the diminutive Prince and smiled. “Thank you, Prince Midge,” he said softly. “Your words are kind and I respect them, but I am not a fairy. My own people will find amusement in my disfigurement and I will be scorned as a freak. I just want it to go away. I want to return home and fish with my father.”
“Alas, Arik,” Midge sighed, “greatness can not be discarded. Destiny cannot be tossed by the wayside with careless abandonment. For whatever reason you were chosen to perform this great deed, only you can perform it. What comfort could you enjoy with your father, knowing that there were people who needed help, which only you could provide? Face it, my friend, you have been chosen and you will perform the task. Given that, make the best of it. Be proud of who you are and strive to do your best. I will help you in any way I can.”
“Thank you, Midge,” Arik said. “You have mighty words for one so small. Perhaps you can help me practice my swordsmanship.”
Midge turned a pale green and Arik laughed. “I am sorry, Midge,” he apologized. “Practicing helps me clear my head and I did not think before I spoke. Your words have helped me and I will dwell on them while I practice.”
Arik rose and called out to Tanya about practicing. She rose immediately and joined Arik in a clear area away from the fire.
“Practicing is a good idea,” she mentioned. “It will clear your mind and make you realize that we are all friends here and will help each other through whatever difficulties we face.”
Arik nodded and squared off with his practice sword. Once the swordplay got underway, Tanya noticed that Arik’s mind was still on his troubles. She pushed hard at him with a variety of strokes. Quickly, Arik responded to her vigor, first defensively, then with bold attacks of his own. The fighting between Arik and Tanya became so intense that Fredrik and Tedi stopped practicing with their staffs to watch. Kalina and Niki also abandoned their magic lessons and soon a crowd of people and fairies had gathered to watch the dueling pair.
Tanya tossed her cap to the ground and rolled past Arik while attempting a hit across his legs. Arik caught her movements just in time and leaped over her sword swing. Upon landing he rolled himself into a ball and continued away from Tanya so she would not catch him turning around. Jumping to his feet, he saw Tanya closing on him and raised his wooden sword to deflect her blow.
The two warriors continued on, oblivious to the crowd, focusing their entire attention on each other. His body aching and drenched with sweat, Arik subconsciously stripped off his shirt and threw it to the ground just in time to fend off another of Tanya’s attacks.
The fairies in the crowd gasped at the sight of the mark upon his chest. Niki hid her face with her hands and Garth and Kalina stared without expression. Fredrik and Tedi started to laugh and both felt something hard strike the backs of their heads. Turning around they saw Midge and another fairy with slingshots and the fairies were not smiling. Their laughter died in their throats as they turned back to watch the match.
Arik and Tanya had noticed none of the reactions, as they were too intent on gaining an advantage over the other. Arik scored a couple of kill hits on Tanya, but the young woman ignored them and continued her attack. The match lasted for over half an hour before Arik had Tanya on her back with his wooden sword at her throat. Tanya submitted and Arik collapsed on the ground alongside her. Applause rang through the orchard from large hands as well as small and Arik and Tanya noticed their audience for the first time.
Arik realized that he had shed his shirt for the first time in weeks and stared at the faces around him. There was nothing but praise in those faces for a performance well done and he laid his head back down on the ground.
“That was the finest display of swordsmanship I have seen in years,” complimented Garth as he tossed a towel to each of the fighters. “Perhaps you two are ready for a session with me this afternoon.”
Many times Garth had used a sword session with him as a threat to those who were acting cocky, but Arik and Tanya knew that this offer was entirely different. They realized that they had impressed Garth with their expertise and that brought a smile to each of them. The crowd slowly broke up with some fairies lingering to catch a last glimpse at Arik’s chest, but he did not notice them. Midge flew over and landed on Arik’s upraised knee.
“I am certainly glad that I did not take your offer of practice,” Midge commented. “You both know how to handle a sword well. I saw some of our army instructors watching and a few of them took notes on your movements. You said your father was a fisherman. How did you learn such a skill at your age?”
Arik sat up and grabbed his shirt. “Garth has been teaching us,” Arik replied. “Tanya had professional lessons and I learn from her as well.”
Tanya reached over and put her hand on Arik’s arm as he tried to put on his shirt. “May I look at it first?” she asked softly.
Arik’s face reddened, but he nodded and Tanya sat up to examine his chest. Over his left breast was engraved a reptile, which resembled a snake with legs. The reptile sported a large pair of wings and had a forked tongue protruding from its mouth. What amazed Tanya most were the colors. The reptile itself was a bright green and the wings were black. The eyes and protruding tongue were a vivid red.
“It looks like an artist’s painting,” Tanya stated. “Not just any artist, but a very well skilled artist. This came from that rash you got in Tagaret?”
Arik nodded and started to put his shirt on, but Tanya reached out and ran her finger over the tiny dragon. “Amazing!” she commented. “I wonder how one of those would look on me?”
Arik turned redder than the reptile’s eyes and he quickly shrugged his shirt on. Tanya caught his reaction and blushed herself. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” she chuckled. “You will NOT imagine it on me,” she added as she playfully swatted his shoulder.
Midge leaped into the air as Arik jumped to his feet and extended a hand to Tanya to help her get up. “I will have trouble not imagining it, now that you have mentioned it,” chuckled Arik. “Let’s go see if the others have any ideas on how we are to find this Crown of Light.”
Midge landed on Arik’s shoulder as they returned to the campfire and helped themselves to coffee. Garth, Kalina, and Niki were sitting and talking to Queen Mita and the conversation was centered on the Crown of Light.
“We had the Sword of Heavens to help us find you,” Garth was saying. “We have no such aid in finding the Crown of Light. I have no idea even where to start looking for it.”
“We can not have come this far just to fail,” sighed Kalina. “The Ancient Prophecy led us to the Sapphire of the Fairies. The Fairy Prophecy must have a clue to lead us to this Crown of Light.”
Queen Mita shook her head. “There is no clue in the Prophecy and no mention of anything that will lead Arik to it.”
Garth smiled every time the Queen mentioned Arik and the Crown of Light. She accepted all of the Rangers as being part of the expedition. She accepted Garth as the leader of the Rangers, but when it came to the Crown of Light, she never left any doubt that Arik was all who mattered.
Midge flew off in a hurry while Fredrik and Tedi returned from their staff practice. They had also gathered an audience who applauded, but the fairies’ enthusiasm was clearly for the swordplay exhibition.
“Perhaps if we knew what we were looking for, we would have a better idea of where to look,” Arik suggested. “Do you have any books that have pictures of the crown?”
Queen Mita tilted her head and looked at Arik. “I can show you a vision of it,” she offered. “I forget that you are not versed in the ways of fairies. We have the ability to create visions from thought. All I have to do is think of a picture of the Crown of Light and project it.”
Queen Mita turned towards the fire and a cloud of smoke congealed above it. The center of the cloud started glistening and as the smoke dissipated a shiny, gold crown adorned with sapphire gems appeared. Everyone gasped at the lifelike image as it rotated over the fire.
“How large is it?” Tanya inquired.
Queen Mita smiled and pictured herself wearing the Crown of Light. The added perspective brought realization of how small the article actually was.
Fredrik shook his head and frowned. “We are expected to find something that small and all we know is that it is somewhere in the world. If everything depends on us finding that, we might as well go home.”
Kalina stood and walked around the fire, slowly examining the crown. Garth watched her and shook his head. “It is the same from every angle, Kalina,” he stated frustratingly.
“Sorry, Garth,” she replied absentmindedly, “but something is tickling my memory. Queen Mita can you visualize it in the palm of my hand, or any hand around the same size?”
Queen Mita wrinkled her brow for a moment. “Open your palm,” she requested.
Kalina held her palm flat and Queen Mita landed in the center of it. Next she projected an image of herself in Kalina’s palm and projected it over the fire. The image shimmered slightly as she altered it to include the Crown of Light on her head. Then in an eye blink, Queen Mita disappeared from the vision and the Crown of Light rested on Kalina’s palm.
“Does that help?” the Queen asked.
“Yes,” shouted Kalina. “I have seen this crown and held it in my very hand not twenty years ago. I am sure it is the same one.”
“Great,” shouted Tedi. “Where is it?”
Kalina’s face clouded with frustration. “President Suarez of Cordonia showed it to me just before Oscar Dalek’s wedding. He thought it would make an unusual wedding band, but Callie declined it.”
“Well let’s go to Cordonia and get it back for the fairies,” exclaimed Tanya.
“The Cordonian Royal Palace was buried under a mountain in the Collapse,” Garth stated. “Actually that is not a correct statement. The Palace merged with the mountain is actually a better description. In all probability, the Crown of Light is now part of the mountain. Even tearing the mountain apart piece by piece would not recover the crown in any condition that we would recognize.”
Despair fell over the group and everyone fell silent. Fredrik started moving a pebble around with his staff and Tedi tried to shift his seat a little farther away from Niki who kept trying to lean against him. Garth and Kalina stared at each other across the campfire and Queen Mita flew herself down to the ground. Arik looked around the campfire at the sullen group and rose to his feet.
“My father did not raise me to be a quitter,” Arik announced, “and I know Prince Midge will accompany me if no one else will. Are the rest of you in this only when the way is easy?”
“Give the man a tattoo,” scowled Niki, “and he thinks he can bring a mountain to its knees.”
Garth stood and placed his hand on Arik’s shoulder. “Pay no mind to whiners, lad,” Garth smiled broadly, “and never doubt your abilities. The Rangers are bound for Kantor and if it is a mountain that must be conquered, then a mountain will fall before us.”
Tanya leaped up and started rolling up her gear. Kalina gently touched her on the arm. “In the morning will be soon enough, warrior,” Kalina smiled. “We have the chance to enjoy the hospitality of the fairies before we depart and you still have that session with Garth this afternoon. I look forward to watching it. It has been a long time since a woman made Garth cry.”
Tanya laughed and turned to see Garth shaking his head and grinning. The atmosphere of the campsite turned to one of enthusiasm and the Rangers spent the rest of the morning roaming the orchard and observing the way the fairies lived. Individual fairy guides were assigned to each Ranger to answer their questions and explain the ways of the fairies to the humans.
Excitement spread through the orchard as the fairies learned of the journey to Kantor to recover the Crown of Light. Fairy families brought their children out to see the humans, especially Arik who was treated with awe and respect above the other Rangers. Fairies started coming up to the Rangers to offer good luck charms or supplies for the journey and all of the Rangers’ spare clothing disappeared and was returned later, freshly washed and mended where mending was needed.
Queen Mita presented each Ranger with a small sapphire bar to pin on their blacksuits to signify their unity with the fairies of the Sagina Universe. Arik noticed an eighth sapphire bar that was much smaller than the rest, but dismissed it as another group of fairies came along to introduce their children to the Bringer. Prince Midge’s words came back to Arik and he smiled as he thought of his irrational fear of being an outcast because of his branding.
Eventually, the Rangers broke from the pandemonium and returned to their campsite for the midday meal. The meal was quiet as each Ranger pondered the strange people who had opened their homes and heart to the humans. The smiles on the faces of the Rangers proved it was a beneficial experience.
Tanya moved and sat down next to Kalina. “Did you really attend Prince Oscar’s wedding?” Tanya asked.
“Yes,” Kalina answered as she watched Tanya with her peripheral vision.
“You must have been friends with Prince Oscar to have been invited to his wedding,” Tanya probed.
“He was not Prince Oscar then,” Kalina remembered. “He was Duke Dalek at the time and he had many friends.”
“You must have met many of the other guests as well,” Tanya continued. “I understand Alexander Tork and Jenneva were in the wedding. Did you get to meet them?”
“Ah, yes,” Kalina nodded. “The young Lieutenant who was best man and the beautiful woman who accompanied him. Of course I remember them. Who could forget such a fine looking couple? There was always such a crowd around them that most people couldn’t get close. And all that attention with so many other celebrities present. They were a special couple.”
Garth stepped up behind Kalina and put his hands on her shoulders. “Kalina, there are some things we need to discuss with Queen Mita and I would prefer to do that sooner, rather than later,” interrupted Garth. “Tanya, I’m afraid our little session for this afternoon will have to wait for another time. I hope you don’t mind, but the opportunity to speak with the Queen of the Fairies is not one to be wasted. Why don’t you organize the practice rounds for this afternoon and make it something that will entertain the fairy watchers as well as provide a good workout for the Rangers?”
Kalina quickly rose with a smile to Tanya and escorted Garth towards the Father Tree. Tanya bit her lip and wondered if she could beat Arik with a staff.
The rest of the day was spent in practice and the Rangers took pride in showing off their skills. Tanya made sure that the practice rounds included archery, swords, staffs, knives, and of course, Lanoirian Stars. The archery impressed the fairies the most and they marveled at the accuracy of Arik’s longbow. Each of the Rangers was given an ovation after each performance and soon the warriors started trying to outdo the performance directly before theirs.
Niki, however, felt left out. Kalina had disappeared with Garth and she did not possess any demonstrable warrior skills. Halfway through the practice sessions, Niki wandered off into the orchard. Before she got very far, she ran into Garth and Kalina returning to the campsite and they corralled her into returning with them.
When the practice sessions were over, a long parade of fairies swarmed into the campsite and spread long strips of cloth along the ground. Family after family came and placed a food dish on the strips until there were several long lines of small dishes from end to end. Queen Mita explained that this was a traditional sendoff for an army marching to war and the Rangers were being honored as a fairy army.
The servings were extremely small, but the potpourri of tastes was exciting. No one was sure what they were eating, and even the explanations of the fairy host did not often clarify the dish, but each was savored as a delicacy. Tedi thought with amusement that while there were only seven Rangers marching off to war, they probably devoured the equivalent of a whole fairy army during the festival.
Toward the end of the festivities the fairy crowd roared with approval and suddenly parted as a small blacksuited fairy marched towards the seated Rangers. With a leap and a fluttering of wings, Prince Midge landed on Arik’s upraised knee and posed in his miniature version of a Ranger blacksuit, complete with pouches and pockets and wide leather belt. The only deviation from the Rangers’ uniforms was the holes in the back to accommodate the fairy’s wings. Pinned to the shoulder of Midge’s uniform was the small sapphire pin that Arik had seen earlier.