The Darkest Faerie Returns: Part One

Fyora awoke instantly to the sounds of millions of winds rushing through her chamber. The sound was full of power and might. There was indeed a whirlpool of wind developing in front of her, and in a few moments it transformed itself into a portal. Fyora stared in shock at the swirling mass of blue, purple, orange, green, and red. Her thoughts were as various as the swirling portal in front of her. She was able to stagger out of her bedchamber, but she then lost consciousness due to her overwhelming fear and exhaustion.

     However, that was not the only reason that she fainted. The other reason being that through the swirling mass of colors, she saw a glimpse of a place she had not seen in many years; a land that she had been rescued from, and a land that she had never been able to return to. The shock of it all caused her to lose consciousness.

     One of her advisors saw her fall and immediately transported her to the infirmary so that they could be sure that Fyora was fine. Curious, a yellow Lupe named Tor and his second in command, a fierce Draik named Grimmig, entered Fyora’s chambers and were confronted by the portal.

     Grimmig stared at the portal. “What do you suggest, master?”

     Tor sighed deeply. “Do I have to keep telling you to call me Tor? I’m not your master, anyway. And something about this must have frightened Fyora badly. We should go in and see what.”

     Grimmig nodded solemnly. “Very well, I shall go first.”

     Tor again sighed and couldn’t help chuckling. “I may be in charge, but in a contest of bravery nobody could defeat you.”

     Grimmig said nothing and jumped into the portal. Tor followed him immediately.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

     While Fyora was unconscious, after Tor and Grimmig entered the portal, a majestic looking Lupe and an aged light Faerie entered the queen’s chambers through the swirling portal.

     The Lupe looked at the Faerie. “This is Faerieland? We must be positive as we’re sure to have alerted whoever lives here.”

     The light Faerie took in everything that was around her, the looks, the smells, and the homey feeling. “Yes, this is Faerieland, and this is Fyora’s chamber.”

     The Lupe nodded slightly. “Very well, if she is not here, then we must find her. The fate of Altador, not to mention Neopia, depends on it.”

     Siyana looked at the Lupe and also nodded. “If Fyora was here, she is sure to have left her room immediately. Let’s investigate the castle. I can make us invisible until she is within our range of view.”

     The Lupe again nodded slightly and said. “Very well. Let us begin.”

     The Lupe’s face was one that was etched with wrinkles from the many hard years he had endured. He and Siyana had been some of the few that escaped from Altador after The Darkest Faerie’s wrath was unleashed upon them. The Lupe was the great King Altador and his face was weathered and full of wisdom. There could never be a more aware and alert king than him. He was a rather solemn King, but nobody except for Siyana knew that he would love to laugh just once. The King was incapable of laughter, however, as he found nothing funny. His years in Altador had ingrained him with a memory of his life so solemn, he could not laugh at it. Nothing was ever taken lightly by him, but it was better for the people that way.

     Siyana was his most trusted advisor. She, too, had escaped from Talador and the Darkest Faerie. She knew the full extent of the Faerie’s power, and she would never again face it unless she had to. However, both Siyana and King Altador knew that the Darkest Faerie’s time was coming. She had been dormant for one thousand years, but those thousand years would soon come to an end.

     Both of them knew that Neopia could not face the Darkest Faerie without Altadorian weapons. When King Altador created his land, he knew that the Darkest Faerie would return, so he instructed Tor, the finest weapon maker that he knew from Neopia, to create armor of amazing power that could withstand as much of the Dark Faerie’s power as possible.

     *~*~*~*~*

     Siyana and Altador scurried through the halls until they found Fyora finally awakening in the infirmary. Siyana saw Fyora and nearly fainted herself. Fyora had not been cursed as Siyana and King Altador had. While they hid from Neopia, they aged more quickly than usual. Where the thousand years passed like days for Fyora, they passed like years for Siyana and Altador.

     Siyana approached Queen Fyora and bowed low. “My dear Queen, it has been nearly a thousand years, and we have been gone for a long time. Please welcome us and hear our plea.”

     King Altador also bowed before Fyora, who had just fully awoken.

     At first Fyora was unsure of what to do or think, but there was something in their eyes that she would never forget.

     *~*~*~*~*~*

     “FYORA!!! SAVE YOURSELF!!!!!”

     Fyora saw Siyana attack the Darkest Faerie. She saw the portal before her and before she had a chance to move, she was sucked into it. Siyana would not allow her to return to Altador or the battle. Siyana was the bravest and fiercest Altadorian warrior, and Fyora took pride in being her friend. However, she could not return to Altador as one could not go there unless you were specifically invited, and Siyana would never allow Fyora to return if there was even a hint of danger.

     Fyora just stared at Siyana at first. “Siyana. Is that you? It’s been so long. You escaped? But the Darkest Faerie was defeating you. Then she came here...”

     Siyana looked up at Fyora with memory torn eyes. “Yes, I was able to escape and so was Altador. We fled far away. We were eventually able to restore Altador after you defeated the Darkest Faerie. However, my queen, her time in stone is ending. I can feel it. We must be prepared for her because it is only a matter of time before she is free, and then she will pose a greater threat than she ever did before.”

     Fyora was still hardly able to speak, but her role entered her mind, and she forgot that she was speaking to an old dear friend.

     She stood erect and tall as she spoke to Siyana. “Then we must hurry. It has indeed been very long. I have missed you much, but now is not the time for us to be worrying about old friendships.”

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

     Grimmig and Tor landed in a patch of green grass that bordered a castle. There were pictures of the sun everywhere, though it was more than just the sun. It was the whole concept of light and purity that stood in dark contrast to the hidden land’s past.

     Grimmig looked at Tor. “Do you know where we are? I’ve never seen any place like this.”

     Tor had never seen anything like it either. An expansive blue gate surrounded the city and its inhabitants. There was some water to the side, but Tor and Grimmig were more interested in the interior of this strange new place. They were able to gain entrance into the city, and they marvelled at the majesty and beauty of this strange new land.

     Even Grimmig’s eyes seemed to gain an unusual light and joy as he looked around.

     Tor seemed to have felt it too. “Grimmig, there is something about this place. As if I belong here, as if I have always belonged here. It’s like I could have lived a thousand years and yet not aged a day here. I feel as though my life is here, and everything else has only been an illusion.”

     Grimmig nodded in affirmation. “I too feel that, but that means nothing. This is a new place that I have not yet heard of. Let us explore this place.”

     The common people looked at the two strangers oddly, but they said nothing as they went about their daily tasks.

     Grimmig and Tor approached what looked like a stadium. The entrance had a plaque over the huge ornate wooden doors that led to the arena.

     It read: “Here we shall dedicate our lives to the ones who dedicated their lives to stop the Darkest Faerie.”

     Grimmig and Tor were puzzled, for they didn’t know of anybody.

     Suddenly, Tor saw a photograph of the young Altador as King, and the memories overtook him faster than any adversary ever could. He remembered Altador, and everything the Darkest Faerie had done. He rushed to the wall to search for the name of Altador, but he was more shocked to see his own name among the ones who lost in the fight against the Darkest Faerie. He didn’t remember much of what happened to him from that time. As far as he knew, Neopia had been his home forever, but if he was always a Neopian, then how was it that he had died trying to save Altador?

To be continued...