The Obsidian Sword: An Unusual Quest - Part Ten

After my fear has been defeated, I stand with my chest heaving - catching my breath, enjoying the relief, and wondering what to do next. Bring the sword back, I suppose. It's obvious, really, but my mind is still reeling from what happened. Did I do that? Did I really just do that? I place my hands on my knees, lean on them, and laugh with joy. Stephen and I grin at each other.

     "Back to Ombre?" I ask. Stephen nods, still smiling.

     Just as we're planning our route back, the dark smoke tendrils build themselves up again and the Dark Faerie steps into being. Immediately, my instinct is to raise the sword in warning, but the battles of will have reminded me that there is more than one way to fight.

     "What do you want?" I ask of her. It's a demand, but not a challenge. I am not going to fight today if I can help it. I keep the anger out of my voice.

     "I didn't come to harm you," she says. "I came to give you safe passage to His Lordship."

     "Safe passage?" Stephen's and my eyebrows raise in surprise and confusion. "Why should I trust you?"

     "Because otherwise, you will never know the truth of the sword. And Papineaux will never know why the nightmares plague him."

     "Nightmares?" I ask, startled. "He never mentioned nightmares."

     "That's because he wasn't having them then. But now he is, and the fact remains that if you do not get to him soon, they just might drive him mad. Is that what you want for your precious lord?"

     I narrow your eyes, sizing the faerie up. My gut tells me she's speaking the truth and a quick silent communication with Stephen, conducted in glances, says he feels the same. Hesitantly, I reply, "I accept your offer for safe passage." Even though I've told myself I will not fight, it seems wise to add, "But remember who it is who owns the sword."

     The Dark Faerie laughs. "You forget who it is who created the sword," she says. Before I can open my mouth to ask what she means, we're disintegrating into smoke, falling into darkness, being whisked away by the wind. It seems we tumble and twist for hours, but once we re-form in the middle of Ombre's castle throne room and my brain catches up, I realize with a start that the entire journey took only a few moments. "It would have been handy if you'd let me in on that little trick BEFORE I left to find the sword," I mutter, but the Dark Faerie waves me away.

     "Go see your lord," she says. "And do it fast. He needs you."

     That gets me refocused in a hurry. I look around the throne room and see the duke sitting in his chair, looking worn and exhausted. "Come," he says, voice raspy, and I obey. "Did you obtain the sword?" he asks.

     "I have it," I tell him, showing him the sword and hoping it's some comfort.

     "Esmeralda," he calls, voice surprisingly demanding.

     "Who's--?"

     "I am here," the Dark Faerie - Esmeralda - says, stepping forward.

     "Explain to the child what this sword entails."

     "As you wish," she replies. I blink, confused. This woman only recently brought the throne room down around your heads.

     Then again...

     I look around, suddenly realizing for the first time that the throne room is in perfect condition. But how can that be? Even with soldiers and citizens working day and night, there's no way the room could be repaired so quickly.

     Unless...

     "It was an illusion," the Dark Faerie smirks, satisfied with her tricks. "It was necessary in order to make you all realize how dire the situation was."

     I bristle, feeling deceived. "What about the Dark Hall, then? What about the Obsidian Creatures? Were any of them real? Did any of that exist? Or were you just playing tricks on us?" Something inside my chest hurts.

     "That was real," Esmeralda assures me, one palm up. "The Dark Hall has existed for as long as Neopia has. It is the one place that may have more dark power than I."

     I scan her face, and come to the conclusion that she is telling the truth. Another question occurs to me. "Did His Lordship know?" I ask. "Did he know the earthquake was an illusion?"

     "No. I've explained to him only just recently. Right after you left, in fact. I needed to motivate him to find someone quickly. The sword needs a bearer. You see, it isn't like most. It is not only magical, but it has a... bite," she grins. "It has been called That Which Makes Us Fearless, or That Which Guards Dreams. It has been handed down for generations. Usually, it's not a problem, finding a new bearer. You simply hand it down to a son or daughter. But His Lordship here, he has neither. And so he needed to find a new bearer. Or, rather," she says, considering, "I needed a new bearer. The sword contains the essence of fear and darkness. It holds fight and flight, the good and bad of what lives in the dark. The bearer is forced by the sword to face the darkness. It gives you a way to see what you fear so that you may defeat it. In return, you become virtually fearless. This would never be possible without the sword."

     "And what do you get out of it?" I ask. "You said you needed a new bearer. Why?"

     "Because," she explains, "when someone faces their fears, I grow more powerful. I am darkness. When you carry darkness around with you - when YOU own the darkness - it leaves little available power for me to glean. I can't be pulled in a million different directions all at once. The darkness that escapes me, the fear that Neopets hold with them, cannot be returned to me until they have defeated it and sent it away from them. Now, I couldn't have everyone in Neopia becoming completely fearless, because fearless people do brave things, but they also do stupid things. Not everyone can handle being fearless. Sometimes, fear is the only thing that keeps you from walking into things you shouldn't. Sometimes, when you forget what fear is like, you end up counting others as less than you. You see yourself as all-powerful, and you become cruel. Mortals are strange things. I'm glad I am not one." She says this last bit with a sneer and shake of her head. "No. I had to make sure that the right person found the sword. There have been many who tried. Many were driven mad because they could not face their fears. They were useless to me, unwilling to relinquish what they were afraid of. Many are driven mad if they possess the sword for too long, without another bearer in line." She pauses for a beat. "Does that answer your question?"

     I consider her inquiry. "Yes. And no. Why would His Lordship be driven mad if I didn't get here in time? He's borne the sword for decades, hasn't he? Why would it drive him mad only now?"

     "Ah! That. That's a tricky thing that I never did master. Unfortunately, the sword must be passed. It must. If one person holds it for too long, the sword backfires. It... reverses, as it were. One can only hold a conduit of darkness in their possession for so long before the impressions of the defeated fears leak back through. It's not as bad as the first time you face them - not as real. But in your mind, you perceive them to be real, and what's worse is that they are all at once. But the bearer cannot simply give the sword away. It has to be to someone worthy. It has to be willingly on both sides. And the person giving it away must do it in person. Now, are you going to save your lord or not? Will you become the new bearer?"

     I hesitate for a moment. Fearlessness... that is something not many people could say they had. But at what cost? At the cost of facing your fears, one by one. At the cost of helping the Dark Faerie's powers grow.

     "What do you do with your power?" I ask. "If you use it for harm, I would sooner find a way to destroy the sword entirely than to have power returned to you."

     The Dark Faerie shakes her head. "You mortals. You're so narrow-minded, so black-and-white. Think of the darkness. It isn't good or bad. It simply exists. It can bring nightmares. But it can also bring dreams. It brings fear, and it brings comforting rest. Without the darkness, there is never a break from the harshness of the light. Would you destroy an element of nature?"

     Suddenly, I'm breathing deeply, because I know what I have to do. There is only one thing to do. The Faerie is right. Darkness has never been purely good or evil. It simply exists. What you do with it makes all the difference, much like all of life. I know this will change my life forever, but after what I've been through... I'm up for the challenge.

     "I..." I clear my throat. "I accept," I repeat, voice determined and strong.

     Epilogue: The Ceremony

     We had to wait one day in order to perform the ceremony. The Dark Faerie had wanted to do the exchange immediately, but all exchanges of natural conduits required an Assembly and an acceptance by the rest of the faeries. This is especially important for the counterbalances, like the Light Faerie, which I now have a sneaking suspicion gives reason for her appearance before. Perhaps they were working together the entire time. Light and dark, one perceived as good and the other as evil, while in reality they've never been either.

     To ensure that the duke would not be too uncomfortable during the time we had to wait while the arrangements for travel and tying up business were made, the Light Faerie appeared early. "I have in my possession the ability to give light to his mind," she had said. "It should drive out the worst of the fears, but will not last long. However, it should be sufficient." Esmeralda had thanked her sincerely, which still seemed to confuse me. It was a difficult task, getting accustomed to the dark not necessarily meaning 'evil.'

     Now, faeries from everywhere - faeries I didn't know even existed - crowd the Duke of Ombre's Great Hall. The Light Faerie has, thankfully, dimmed herself to mortal standards of brightness. The Berry Farmer stands beside her, conversing with ease. I don't know how he knew to be here. There wasn't time to send a letter. From the looks of it, the Light Faerie is no stranger to him, nor are the rest of the Faeries here. He is completely relaxed, and I realize in this moment that Neopia will never know all there is to know about the Gelert we all once thought was a simple Berry Farmer.

     My entire family stands before me in the front row of the crowd, faces beaming with smiles. Aryll found a way to come with a last minute's notice, and Stephen is now sitting on her shoulder, wearing an engraved jeweled cuff. He couldn't exactly pin a medal of bravery to his fur, and a petpet had never before been bestowed with such high honor, so the duke had ordered a symbol of his bravery made especially for him. He's alight with pride in both of us, as well as happiness. I can't help but grin back at all of them with just as much happiness. There's a closeness between all of us that wasn't there before. The walls are broken down, and the joy that makes me feel is indescribable.

     The duke is sitting upon his throne, looking very ready to have the whole thing done with. I am standing before him, dressed formally to show respect, with a cuff matching Stephen's encircling my arm. I could have worn a pin, but Stephen and I decided to make this decision with the mentality I should have made my decision to go on the journey to begin with -- together, or not at all. It's a symbol not only of the bravery we displayed, but of our friendship. The Dark Faerie stands beside the throne, facing the duke and me.

     "You have presented the sword to Lord Papineaux, the Duke of Ombre," Esmeralda intones. "Now, Papineaux must perform the transferring rights, just as they were performed on his twenty-first birthday."

     Papineaux chuckles weakly. "That was so long ago," he says, a far-off look in his eyes. He blinks, and he's back to the present. "Come forth, young one, and face me."

     I step forward and look him in the eyes.

     "Tell me the truth, and nothing but. Do you accept the blessings and curses of the sword?" I nod. "Out loud, child," he says gently.

     "I accept both the blessings and the curses of the sword," I say, voice steady and firm.

     "Now, ask if he is willing to part with it," Esmeralda instructs.

     "Lord Papineaux," I begin, "do you part willingly with the sword? With both its curses and its blessings?"

     Papineaux holds his head high as he replies, "I do willingly part with the sword - with both its blessings and its curses."

     "Transfer the sword to your bearer heir," Esmeralda says. The duke does so, and immediately, color comes back to his cheeks and his eyes brighten. As for me, a surge of strength flows through me. I don't know what the sword will bring, but I know one thing: I can face it. It, along with my family, friends, and my own faith in myself, will help me face it. I am stronger than I once believed.

     "Use your newfound fearlessness for good," Esmeralda warns. "And remember that with your strengths, you will discover new weaknesses. It will be up to you to defeat them."

     You nod solemnly. "I will."

     Esmeralda nods back at you. "Thank you," she says, stumbling over the words a bit, as if she is unused to saying them. "Your part in the world is a large one, and both dreams and fears are indebted to you. Do not take this responsibility lightly." With one last look at me, she steps back.

     "Do you of the Assembled accept Taro as the Bearer Heir?" Esmeralda calls out.

     "We do," the faeries respond, their combined voices deafening.

     The duke rises from his throne and comes to stand beside me and puts a claps a strengthened hand onto my shoulder. "You know, it's not over," he says.

     "I know," I reply, and I can't quite keep the excitement out of my voice. Anything is possible now. Anything.

     "This is only the beginning."

The End