On
Falling In And Out Of Storyside...
Part
12
"Oh, Magbert, the
"It
is rather beautiful, isn't it?" Magbert smiled.
He couldn't fully appreciate his wife's awe with the royal patriarchy, but as
the two walked through the halls of King Daniel's royal estate with the king
himself, he could certainly appreciate the fairy's taste in craftsmanship and
artistry. Never had he seen a castle so simple, yet so stately at the same
time.
"I
am pleased that you both like it so," King Daniel said. "I've gone to
great lengths to erase the memory of the last monarch our people had."
"Evil,"
King Daniel finished for her. "Terribly corrupt and
vain. There are times when I wonder if Naomi would have become the
outlaw she is now if not for him. Many was the time
that he banished fairies simply for disagreeing with him and Naomi was
certainly one to do that."
"We've
had enough experience with her to know that,"
"At
any rate, if what you tell me is true, Naomi isn't in the wrong here.
Certainly, I can do nothing without Naomi confirming these facts for me, but I
believe Lady Eris to be extremely out of line in her actions." King Daniel
said, his seriousness evident in his tone.
"Because of her treatment of you and your daughter, I've already had Eris
confined to a cell in the dungeon and suspended her title as Supreme Counselor
until further notice. Unfortunately, Naomi probably has no idea we're on her
side in this one, so she'll try to sneak in, take Joshua back to Christine and
pretend nothing ever happened."
"Will
she be able to enter your castle without being detected?" Magbert asked.
"In
theory, that would be impossible. Too many spells protect this castle,"
the king replied.
"In
theory," Magbert echoed.
"In
reality, Naomi has been in and out of this castle several times. She never goes
unnoticed, but by the time we get to a position where she can be stopped, she's
already gone."
"She's
good, I'll give her that," Magbert nodded.
"Indeed,"
said the King. "With her ability to shapeshift,
she could be in the castle right now and just lying low."
The
king shook his head. "Naomi's prime concern is Joshua's safe return. From
what I can gather, Naomi seems to have developed an affinity for Mia, and as
much as she'd like to deny that, Naomi won't have the heart to hurt your little
one. In fact, she'll probably try to use her to help get Joshua out of the
castle, which is why I put Joshua in Mia's room and stationed guards outside
her door for the night. She'll be fine."
"I
hope so,"
"Don't
worry, dear. Our room adjoins to hers. At the slightest noise, we can be at her
side," Magbert said, patting her hand.
"Then
all we can do is wait,"
"As
do I," the king chuckled. "Especially where Naomi
is concerned."
The
three stopped in front of Mia and Joshua's doorway. "Well, this is good
night, then," the king said. "Should any problems arise, my guards
and I are at your service throughout the night."
"Greatly
appreciated," said Magbert, both he and Crystal
bowing slightly to him. The king turned and walked down the hall to his room
while Crystal and Magbert entered the room.
Mia
was fast asleep on the bed when they entered and Joshua was snoring lightly in
his crib. They stepped onto the dais Mia's bed was on and smiled fondly down at
her.
"Our
child," whispered
"Our
love," said Magbert, gently kissing his wife's
cheek in response.
"We're
being terribly silly, now,"
"Indeed,"
Magbert said seriously, sweeping his wife into his
arms. "Let us continue this ridiculous conversation in our room."
"From Naomi?" Magbert
chuckled. "Darling, you worry far too much. Naomi may be a liar and a con
artist, but causing physical harm to children is certainly out of her
league."
"I
just can't shake the thought of her, that's all,"
"Imagine
lying in bed next to the husband you haven't seen in over 500 years and she'll
leave your brain completely," he said in a low voice.
"Um-hmm,"
she said, eyelids hast mast with contentment.
"Good,"
he said, carrying her into their room. "Hold that thought."
In
the hallway, King Daniel was greeting the Lady Robin and the gangly human with
her.
"Always
a pleasure to see you, m'lady," said the king,
bending to kiss her hand.
"The
feeling is mutual, as always, Daniel," said Robin with a smile.
"Jerry, this is King Daniel, Royal Monarch of all Faerie Folk."
"Your Majesty," Jerry said, bowing to him.
"This
wouldn't be the young human Magbert had spoken to me
of earlier?" King Daniel asked.
"You
know Magbert?" Jerry asked. "I was locked
in a cell with him and his daughter when we found Naomi and this Lady Eris
beating up on her. We escaped and then these soldiers came...by the way, no
disrespect intended, but I haven't really had the world's best reception to
your kingdom."
"A
grievous error that shall soon be corrected," the king nodded. "My
hospitality is forever at your disposal. However, we're trying to locate Naomi.
Have you seen her?"
Jerry
shook his head, but Robin said, "I sent her to find Christine and have her
talk to you about Joshua, but no doubt she's decided she can handle this whole
affair by herself. She should be somewhere around by now. Jerry can help you
find her, if need be. He can null magic when he concentrates."
"Really?" King Daniel said. "An
impressive talent for any being to possess. Have you any control over
this power?"
"Not
exactly," Jerry admitted. "I just found out I had it today." He
noticed the king and Robin exchange a knowing glance and frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing,"
Robin smiled. "It's just your entire story is so typical of someone we
know."
"Who?" Jerry asked.
"We'll
introduce you after this is over. Hopefully, they'll be able to get you back
home. In the meantime, we need your help here," Robin said.
"Naomi
saved my life," Jerry said, uncertainly, "and I'm dead sure that Lady
Eris started the whole thing with her..."
"Don't
worry, Jerry, we know of Naomi's innocence. We just need her statement as proof
so Lady Eris can be properly prosecuted," the king explained.
"Then
let's start by going into Mia's room," Robin said, turning to go down the
hall.
The
two guards at the door nodded at the king and his companions as they slipped
quietly into Mia's room. One entered in with them, standing just inside the
door as Robin, the king and quietly searched the room for anything out of the
ordinary.
Jerry
suddenly needed a cigarette. More than anything in the world, he desperately
needed a cigarette.
He
turned to Robin and King Daniel, but they were on their way out the door again.
He caught up with them in the hall, just as another guard was telling the king
of a disturbance in the west wing of the castle.
"I'll
keep lookout here," said Jerry, pointing to the balcony across the hall.
"Fine,"
said Robin. "If anything happens, call us." She and the king rushed
down the hallway, just as Jerry stepped out and lit his cigarette. As he took
his first drag, he turned to look at the guards at the door. There was now only
one.
"Where's
your twin?" Jerry asked casually.
"My
twin, sir?" the guard echoed.
"Yeah,
the guy that was next to you," Jerry explained.
"I've
been on guard alone here since the beginning of the evening, sir."
Jerry
looked at him and knew he was telling the truth. Or he believes he is,
he thought to himself. He stubbed his cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe,
then, feeling guilty about dropping a cigarette butt in fairyland, he put it in
his pocket for safekeeping. Then he went back across the hall and softly
entered Mia's room again.
Mia
had a balcony in her room, too, he noticed. She did not, however, have the
guard that had followed them into the room before. Everything else seemed to be
quite normal. Even Joshua was still sleeping in his bassinet by the balcony.
The one that had previously been by Mia's bed.
Jerry
smiled. He stood up, opened the door and closed it again, then sat down in the
shadows by Mia's bed to wait.
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