Chapter 10: Dalton takes Charge.
~Fear and dismay paralysed everyone in the room as they stared at the long shadow darkening the threshold. Only one thought went through each of their heads: Hexia had come in person to wreck her vengeance! Not an eye blinked as the shadow advanced. Sunset, Joskye, Rainbow and Applejack could barely breathe. Argie, Twilight and Pinkie gripped the arms of their chairs. Their faces taunt with fear. Yet it was no evil-looking Hexia who stepped into the room. Instead, they found themselves confronted by a tall stranger dressed in a hooded, green travelling cloak, the hood of which completely hid his face. For a moment nobody moved; then Alaxe whipped out his sword and leapt forward. All his doubts about the girls came flooding back. If this wasn't Hexia, then he could only be one of the wizards or some enemy. Lightning also leapt up and held her fists out.~
"Show yourself." growled the elf. "Before I run you through."
~There was a moment of tense silence. Then the stranger laughed and threw back his hood. A clean-shaven young man stood before them. To the Rainbooms he seemed both noble and kindly, yet his dark eyes flashed with an inner fire. Swift gazed up into his eyes and caught the flash. She knew there and then that she and him would have a special understanding between them.~
"There will be no need for that, Alaxe." The voice was rich and deep. "Please permit me to introduce myself. I am Prince Dalton, the son of Aron, High King of Asteral, and of all the lands westwards."
~He smiled and bowed slightly. There was an authority in his manner, and a fearlessness that made Alaxe lower his sword. Lightning relaxed a little.~
The stranger looked about her. "You must be Lightning- one of the Star children, and you, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie are- The Rainbooms. Joskye, Swift and Argie too- the White children. Yes, and you are Tad, the lore-master of the forest-folk, if I am not mistaken. To you, I offer my apologies for having entered your house unannounced, but I felt it wise to be discreet."
Rainbow, looking incredulous, whispered to the others. "Uh, how does he know who we are?" Lightning shook his head, looking equally bemused.
The prince turned to Mrs Tad, Fluttershy and Rarity. "Dear ladies, my apologies for causing you such a fright. Please forgive me."
"Well, I...I'm sure I do, sir." replied a flustered Mrs Tad. "You are welcome to our home."
Alaxe coughed loudly at this point. "Um, with due respect," he said. "Could you explain yourself to us? Why are you here?"
"And how do you know so much about us?" Twilight asked.
The tall stranger smiled. "You are quite right. First, let me put you at ease by saying that I have been sent to the Great Forest of Caisar by the world itself."
"If that is so, you are truly welcome." said Tad. "But you will understand our caution when I tell you that our enemy is highly skilled at deception. We have been fooled in the past and will not make that mistake again." He looked keenly at Dalton. "To say you are from Asteral is a strong statement, my friend. What proof do you bring?"
Dalton glanced at them each in turn and nodded. "First, I give you my oath which I make by the fire of the Islastone and the light of the stars. Furthermore, I bring a token that will demonstrate the truth of my words."
~The Rainbooms and Whites watched as he removed his glove to reveal a ring upon the second finger of his right hand. The gold ring was large and intricately fashioned, but what caught everyone's attention, especially Rarity's, was the jewel set within it. This was no ordinary diamond or emerald; it did not catch light and reflect it. This jewel smouldered and flashed with its own fire. It was nothing that any of them had ever seen. Joskye swallowed as he felt the hair tingle on the nape of his neck. Tad shuffled forwards and took Dalton's hand in his paw. He peered closely at the fiery stone and then raised his eyes to meet Dalton's, his gaze filled with awe and wonder.~
"Yes, you judge correctly." said the stranger, without warning for Tad to speak. "It is a fragment of the Islastone itself."
"Sit down, please," whispered the old manticore. "I need no further proof. For one who has gazed upon the Islastone, it is enough. You are welcome among us."
~At this point the three sprites stirred and woke. Seeing Alaxe with his sword drawn, Grumble leapt to his feet and confronted the stranger.~
"Don't move a muscle or I'll have you by the throat!" he cried up to Dalton.
~Fumble and Mumble joined him and prepared to do battle. Mumble grabbed the poker from the fireside and brandished it at Dalton whale Fumble bared his teeth and tried to look menacing.~
"It's okay, it's okay!" Fluttershy reassured them. "He is a friend."
"His name is Prince Dalton." added Tad.
~He motioned Alaxe to put his sword away as everyone settled down; he ushered Dalton to the best seat in the room. Even Alaxe seemed to relax.~
Once they were all seated Dalton began to speak. "My mother is Queen Teris and she gave me this ring several years ago. She would not say how she obtained it, but I remember feeling that it had cost her much suffering to do so." He twisted the ring with his other hand. "It had never been removed from my finger and nor could it be now, as you can see. Yet one day it will be removed, for it is said that this jewel will be reunited with the Islastone- although I do not know how."
"The prophecy!" cried Joskye looking eagerly at Tad. "The one you said about."
"Yes," Tad nodded. "You are quite right, Joskye. Then you, Dalton, are the promised ruler, the coming one who will set the Great Forest free."
"You were right about the signs, and the coming of the girls. I knew it!" cried Mrs Tad, beaming at her husband.
Tad pushed himself out of his seat and bowed low before Prince Dalton. "Sire, I am your servant and at your command." he said.
~Alaxe and Tig took their cue from Tad and did likewise. Alaxe motioned the three sprites to follow them. Mrs Tad, still beaming, curtised.~
Joskye glanced across to his siblings and the Rainbooms. "Us too?" he asked.
~Lightning nodded enthusiastically and all of them bowed awkwardly.~
Dalton held up his hand. "I am honoured to lead you," he said. "But enough of this bowing and scraping. We must work together, for we all have a part to play in defeating this tyranny." His eye caught Mrs Tad's. "So, perhaps this is a good moment for some refreshment."
"I'll put the kettle on." said Mrs Tad. "It's not every day we have royalty in our home."
Dalton smiled at her. "If you knew the truth, Mrs Tad, you would realise that you are of royal blood yourselves. True nobility has little to do with birth but much to do with how you handle pain and adversity."
Mrs Tad's fur bristled with embarrassment. "Well, I'm not sure about that, sir, but I can see you're a good sort, and all that." Slightly flustered she hurried out to make the tea.
Dalton faced the others once more. "I know your plight. My destiny involves the Islastone. I am also aware of the dark force that oppresses you and I am determined to break it. It will be a hard battle, of course, but one that we must win. We have to make plans before nightfall."
"So, how are we going to defeat Hexia?" Lightning asked.
~A council of war was taking place in Tad's front room. Everyone felt more confident and determined now that Dalton was with them. He was the type of person that made you feel that you mattered and that together you could win the game. No one questioned his right to leadership in the campaign, and he led their discussions.~
"We need to be wise." he said. "It would be no victory if Hexia escaped with the Islastone. We must recapture that at all costs."
~This rather put paid to Pinkie's suggestion that they should simply blow her up in her castle. They needed a more subtle plan.~
Alaxe spoke up. "It seems to me that we must rescue the prisoners before we do anything else. Some of my finest troops are in her dungeons and she will certainly kill them if she suspects an attack. In fact, recent events may have already put their lives at risk."
"Yes, and she can always blackmail us while she has them. Their lives for her terms." added Tig.
"I agree." answered Dalton. "Then that must be our first priority." His eyes scanned the group. "Now, we need to find a way of drawing her and guards away from the castle. We must find her weak spot. Does anyone have ideas?"
"Oh, that's easy enough." said Tad with a laugh. "She is vain. The most conceited creature you could ever imagine."
"She might be open to a bit of flattery then," said Rarity. Dalton agreed.
"In that case, I think I have a plan." It was Twilight who spoke. Carefully, she explained to them her ideas.
"It might work. It just might work!" cried Dalton. "Yes, Let's give it a go!
~That night there was a flurry of activity on the part of the forest-folk. Creatures scurried to and fro in the darkness and there was much whispering of instructions and passing on of progress reports. It was not until the cold dark hour before the dawn that most fell tired but satisfied into their beds. Indeed, if it had not been for sheer exhaustion many would have stayed awake from excitement. However, Tad was stern. Stage two of Twilight's plan began quite early the next morning when Fumble, Mumble and Grumble, who to the relief of many had been excused the night's work, set off once more towards Hexia's castle. Only this time they made no attempt to conceal their coming.~
"Ouch, that hurt my toe." groaned Fumble as he picked himself up after tripping on a tree root.
"Huh, if you carry on at this rate we'll never even reach the place." Grumble complained. "Not that I think that would be a bad thing, if you ask me. Why is it always us who get landed with the dangerous jobs, that's what I want to know?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, she's likely to kill us on the spot after the trouble we've caused her."
"Hows top man in."
"What's that you say, Mumble? Eh? Speak up then, you daft cheese head!" Grumble was feeling very moody indeed.
"Leave him alone," said Fumble. "I'm sure it'll be alright. Dalton thinks it will."
"I just hope you're right, that's all I can say." At last they came in sight of the castle. "Here we go then," said Grumble.
~With their hearts thumping, in full view, the three sprites approached the dark and forbidding main door. Dead bats hung from trees on either side of them, the sight of which made the sprites shiver with disgust. These were, after all, their cousins. The moment they came under the castle's shadow, a Croper guard stepped out to bar their way. He held a spear at the ready.~
"Halt! What's yer business 'ere? Don't ye know yer trespassin'?" He grinned wickedly, showing his broken yellow teeth, and brandished his spear in their faces. "Yer can git yer froat cut fer that."
"Please, sir, your honour," began Fumble. "We have come to beg an audience with the great Queen Hexia. We bring an important message for her and we come in peace."
~At this point, Grumble produced a white flag, and waved it before the guard.~
"News, eh? And yer want ter see 'er majesty do yer? Wait 'ere, an I'll go an' ask 'er if she wants ter see yer. An' if she don't, I'll slit yer froats." he added as an afterthought before vanishing inside.
"Do you think it's going to work?" whispered Grumble.
"I hope so. Anyway, so far so good. Look out, here she comes!"
~The Crone appeared before them as thought she were made of wavering grey smoke. She fixed them with a baleful glare.~
"You! Yes, I've seen you before, haven't I?" she snarled. "Helping those meddling children, were you not? Vermin! For that you shall die- and very slowly."
The sprites trembled but somehow managed to keep their nerve. "Please, your majesty," said Fumble, who had been appointed spokessprite. "Before you kill us, please hear what we've come to say. We come in peace with a message from the forest-folk."
"Message? What message?" she snapped. "Speak, vermin scum. Your life depends on whether I like what I hear." She moved menacingly towards Fumble and towered over him.
Fumble stood humbly before the Crone and recited the speech he had practised earlier. Taking a deep breath, he said: "O Mighty Queen of the Great Forest and Holder of the Islastone, Ruler of Cropers and Harats, Fearsome Majesty- if it pleases you, your highness, we bring a humble petition." he quavered. "We have regretfully fought your Majesty over many years but we believe that now is the time to surrender." He held out his paws, imploring. "We have had enough, and we wish a speedy end to the fighting. So, O Mighty One, our petition is this: To give you the honour due to you, your Majesty, the forest-folk crave an open-air audience with you today. They wish to acknowledge and celebrate your true worth and greatness."
~The Crone glared suspiciously at the sprite but then, as Tad had correctly judged, her vanity got the better of her. She interrupted Fumble's speech as praise.~
"Really?" Her eyes gleamed. "So you have seen sense at last, have you?"
"I believe we have, your majesty." Fumble replied solemnly.
"Very well, I shall grant you your request, though you are hardly worthy of it." she smirked. "Where will it be?"
"If it pleases your highness, we would like you to come to the old clearing at noon today. It is an ancient place of honour, fitting for such an occasion as this." he answered.
"And you will demonstrate your loyalty to me?"
"Your majesty, we are prepared to demonstrate everything that we owe you."
Hexia eyed the three sprites closely and pondered for a moment. "Then this is how I shall want it shown." she commanded. "You will hand over to my care those Girls of the Rainbows. Do you understand? They do not belong to the forest and I must deal with them as I see fit. Is that clear?"
"B…b…but, your majesty…"
"Silence! You speak of owing me something. Very well, we shall see!"
"If you say so, ma'am." said Fumble.
"I do say so, and I shall bring my guards too. So no tricks." she threatened. "If you fail, I shall take my vengeance on all of you. There will be no mercy.
"We understand, your majesty." Fumble replied.
"Then go, before I lose my patience with you. No, wait! You!" She pointed at Fumble. "You almost questioned my will. I shall keep you as a gesture of good faith." She turned to Fumble's companions. "If you are deceiving me, then he will be the first to die. Guard, take him!"
~Before the others would protest, the guard seized the hapless sprite in his scaly grip. Mumble and Grumble watched helplessly as he was marched away, followed by the shadowy figure of Hexia.~
"Hm, that didn't work out too well. Poor old Fumble, and he made such a good job of that speech. I would have lost my temper. And as for you, well, she wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about." said Grumble. "Anyway, I just hope he'll be alright."
"O coarse wheel, down wherry." said Mumble.
"What? Oh, never mind. Well, all I can say is, the plan's got to work now, for Fumble's sake." Grumble spoke fiercely and his wings buzzed. He straightened his shoulders. "Come on, we'd better report back to the others. I dread to think what's going to happen next."
~With that, they left glumly. High in the sky and so as not to be seen, Lightning hovered between the clearing and the sun. She looked down on the forest and the sprites leaving the castle gates. She could also make out the dark specks of the Rainbooms, Whites and creatures huddled together in an open grass area surrounded by gorse bushes too. They were no more than about one kilometre from Hexia's castle. They waited in silence. Then Alaxe called out that the Crone was on her way, and she had with her a large company of Cropers. They nodded and together, the Rainbooms and Whites scurried behind the gorse.~
~Hexia strode purposefully into the clearing. She was plainly in a no-nonsense mood. Her eyes scanned the assembled creatures.~
"Halt!" she commanded her guards. They shambled to a standstill. Folding her arms, she fixed the forest-folk with a contemptuous gaze. "Well?" she demanded, her voice imperious. "Here I am. Your queen! Do you have someone worthy of my presence that can speak?"
The Crone had seen Tad standing at the head of the forest-folk but she deliberately ignored him. However, the old manticore was not to be outdone. "Yes, your majesty." he said boldly and with dignity. "As lord-master of the forest-folk, I will address you."
Hexia frowned in annoyance and sneered. "Lord-master? I do not recognise positions I have not appointed but, very well…speak, and make it good-or I'll make it bad." She cackled at her own wit.
"Ahem. If it pleases your majesty I, Tad, offspring of Rufus the Strong, member of the forest elders of the noble days of the Great Forest of Caisar in Merrdom, I who am appointed lore, master of the forest-folk by the command of the world, address you on a matter of great importance." Hexia began to tut and to arch her eyebrows. But Tad carried on. "For a long while, indeed many years, your majesty, you have held power in this forest because you posses the Islastone. Many of us have fought against you during these years and there has been much suffering for our people, many deaths, many imprisonments. The forest has grown weary and is dying. The time has come for this to end, your majesty; the days of war must cease and peace return to the Great Forest of Caisar. Now, we would like to express some feeling of loyalty if we could- but first you must show your true queenliness before us, not by violence but be returning the Islastone to its rightful place and…"
"What is this insolent nonsense?" Hexia screeched. She had been growing more and more irritated by Tad's speech. Now she could not contain herself no longer. "How dare you speak to me like this, you impudent filth!" she cried. "Trying to tell me what to do! Me? Hexia, the mighty queen of all this land! You bring me out for this? I will have no more of it." Her voice was hard and angry, cold as steel, and she spoke through gritted teeth. "But I will have your loyalty. Bring me those girls. Bring them at once before I destroy every one of you."
Tad had known all along that he would have little time to keep Hexia occupied but he had hoped to delay her for as long as possible. He tried to stall her. "I am sorry my words displease you, your majesty. Please accept my…"
"Enough! Where are those Girls of the Rainbows?"
"I…er…they are not actually quite here, if you see what I mean."
"No, I do not," she snapped. "Bring them this instant."
"But, your majesty…"
~Tad's words were interrupted by a loud trumpeting sound echoed across the forest. It came without doubt from the direction of the Crone's castle. A sudden flash of realisation crossed Hexia's face when she heard the alarm call.~
"Stop!" She cried out. Her face contorted with rage and her body shook with sudden fury. "I've been tricked. Tricked!" She turned to her guards. "Do you hear that? It's the alarm!" Her fists clenched, and with a face like thunder she cried out her orders. "Kill them! Kill every one of them. I want no mercy. Tear them limb from limb. Rip them apart!" she screamed. "And you can start with him."
~The Crone turned back and pointed at Tad. Only Tad was no longer there. Nor indeed were any other of the creatures. Every one of them had vanished as through into thin air.~
Hexia stared wildly about her, her eyes popping with amazement. "What's the meaning of this?! What trickery is going on?!" she spat.
~Full of rage, she strode forwards- and at once fell flat on her face. The Crone's foot had caught itself in a deephole that was barely covered by grass. For a moment, Hexia lay where she had fallen; then slowly she rose to her feet. Realisation dawned on her face as she saw the size and depth of the hole.~
"So that's how they escaped, is it?" she hissed.
"There's another one 'ere, yer 'ighness." called a Croper. "And another."
"Its a plot." The Crone screamed. She jumped up and down in a frightful rage, cursing everyone and everything she could think of. "Why? What are they up to? I'll make the scum pay for this." she vowed.
~The holes were too small for her guards to venture down and so all they could do was run around searching in the gorse. But though they found other holes there was not a single sign of the forest-folk.~
"Come here, you fools!" the Crone called. "Back to the castle. And run! Something's up and I don't like it."
~So saying, she gathered up her skirts and began to run after her guards as fast as her legs could carry her.~
Deep in the forest, Joskye tried to catch his breath as he spoke. "Whew, that was close. I thought Tad had misjudged it for a moment." he puffed.
Lightning ran to him and grabbed his shoulder to steady herself. "I'll say." she said.
"Yes," Dalton agreed. He had watched everything from a distance. "Yet it worked. A brilliant idea of Twilight's, even if it was a gamble."
"What was that trumpet sound?" asked Argie.
"I suspect it was an alarm of some kind." Sunset said.
"Let's go and see if everything is well." Dalton added.
~Twilight's plan had been hard work and risky but it was actually quite simple. The previous night, dozens of creatures, especially trolls and gnomes, had dug long tunnels from behind the gorse bushes and into the centre of the old clearing. From the long tunnels came shorter ones, and from those, shorter ones still, until the whole area was laced with a network of tunnels. After this, they had dug many holes to the surface that they had then carefully covered with grass. The next morning, the forest-folk assembled in the clearing, each one stood just in front of a hole or as near to one as possible.~
Tad's instructions had been clear. "You must wait until I give the signal." he told them. "However afraid you feel, you must stand your ground until then."
~Tad's chance came, as he had guessed, the moment Hexia turned to address her guards. Hurriedly, he rolled up the scroll and waved it twice. At his signal each creature simply stepped backwards and bolted into their tunnel. After that it was easy. The forest-folk scuttled through the network of tunnels until they emerged in the thick of the gorse bushes. It was then simply a matter of scampering away into the depths of the forest just as fast as their legs could carry them. The plan had been a most successful way of luring Hexia and her guards from the castle long enough for the Rainbooms to rescue the prisoners, and those who had taken part in the operation had got away without a scratch. Deep in the woods that afternoon many meetings took place among the forest-folk. The Rainbooms wandered from one group to another. They saw loved ones long separated being tearfully reunited. Prisoners who had given up hope walked around in a daze, greeting old friends and acquaintances. Parents and youngsters met again, sometimes hardly recognising each other's faces. Some, whose loved ones had not returned, wept openly and were comforted by others; but then there were the tales being exchanged, tales of brave exploits, of courage in the face of suffering, and of noble deaths.~
"We've won a victory, at last," Argie exclaimed. "Isn't this brilliant?"
"Yes," replied Swift, who was also crying a little herself. "Yes, it's really wonderful. I feel, well, just so happy." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I feel like...full, if you know what I mean."
"Letting those prisoners free was the most fantastic thing I've ever done in my life." Fluttershy smiled, also tearing up a little. "Just look at them."
"You were only just in time, though." said Joskye.
Rarity nodded. "Mmm. It was close. You know, I nearly died when that alarm sounded."
"We just ran for it." Applejack added.
"You should have seen Hexia when she heard it." said Argie. "She went ballistic!"
"The best bit was when she stepped into that hole and fell flat on her face." Joskye laughed.
"Yeah, and then she started running back to the castle with her guards and she looked really stupid," Argie chortled. "Did you see how knobbly her knees were?"
"We had only just got to the shelter of the trees when we saw her guards coming," said Twilight. "Like Rarity said, it was close. But we did it!"
"Yes, you did it, and a happy day it is for us all," Tad joined thm, beaming through his spectacles. "You know, I haven't seen such rejoining in many a year. Not since, well, I can't even remember," he laughed. "This is the first real victory we've had over that Crone. She's always thwarted us before- so many things are changing at last."
"You were great, Tad." Lightning declared. "I thought you were pretty brave to face her like that."
"Not really, Lightning. I did only what was necessary."
"And that speech," Argie said. "What were you going to say next?"
Tad smiled modestly. "Yes, it was a bit of a mouthful, wasn't it? But I was trying to take as long as possible, you see." He chuckled. "If I had continued, I would have told her how evi she was- and that she better change. That would have made her really angry. Then we would have done our vanishing trick."
Alaxe joined them at that moment. "I owe you girls an apology." he said, addressing to the Rainbooms. "I should have trusted you. I'm sorry."
"It's alright." said Sunset.
"We can't really blame you. After all, we did make a mess of everything at first." Twilight added.
"I'm just glad that it's all turned out well. But, thank you, anyway." Rarity smiled.
~The only person not joining in the festivities was Dalton. Swift, who noticed such things, caught the faraway look in his eyes. She could sense a deep sadness, a longing, a heartache too great to be expressed. Wondering what it meant she decided that she must ask him when she got the chance.~
"Hey look, everyone!"
~Argie sounded very excited and those nearby turned to see him pointing at the ground. Filled with curiosity, they gathered around him and stared at what he had found. There, growing proudly from the dark soil, was a bright mauve crocus. It was the first to be seen in many a long year.~
"A sign of spring," breathed Tad. "The power of Hexia is beginning to break."